


Just Be There

by FrankieG613



Series: Just Be There [1]
Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2016-02-04
Packaged: 2018-05-18 05:11:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 33,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5899495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrankieG613/pseuds/FrankieG613
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Howard finds Steve in the ice? I wanted to give Steve and Peggy their happy ending and show what life might have been like if they had a chance. What kind of jobs would they have? Where would they live? Pulling from Captain America: The First Avenger and a little from Marvel's Agent Cater. I own nothing, unfortunately. Cross posted from FF.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

March 1945  
Camp Lehigh, New Jersey

One kiss. As Peggy packed away Steve's file at the end of the war, she couldn't help but mourn the fact that she had only had that one shining moment with the love of her life. She looked at Steve's picture, the one taken of him during boot camp and thought about the wonderful person the war had taken from her. She remembered his shy smile, good nature and generous heart, and how even though his body had changed after the serum, he had remained the same. Now, almost a week later, she still couldn't believe he had crashed that plane, saving countless lives and taking his own in the process.

It had been the longest week of her life. Today was especially difficult: if things had been different, she would be heading home after work to get ready to go dancing with that sweet, quiet boy from Brooklyn. Instead, she knew a long and sleepless night awaited her.

Several hours later, Peggy stood outside the Stork Club, debating if she should go in or not. Ultimately, she turned and walked down the street until she saw a sign that said, "Pub." She walked in and saw a dark, dingy bar filled with questionable clientele. Not in the mood for conversation, Peggy found the spot to be quite perfect. She sat at the bar next to a man that had clearly seen better days. She resolved to breathe out of her mouth as she ordered a scotch and sipped it slowly.

As Peggy stared into the amber liquid in the middle of the derelict bar, she considered her options. As the radio in the corner played an indistinct victory song, Peggy resolved to move on from Captain America.

**** 

Somewhere off the coast of Greenland

Howard Stark had been looking for Steve for five days. As soon as he heard the ship had gone down, he gathered a crew and headed toward where he hoped the wreckage was. They had found the Tesseract 12 hours ago, but Howard insisted they keep looking. He was on the verge of telling the crew to turn around when one of the men shouted. He grabbed binoculars and looked ahead and saw a large, dark object protruding from the snow. Howard called to the crew and they prepared to board the ship.

Howard was frozen to the bone and running out of hope as he headed to the front of the ship. They had been searching outside and in the downed ship for nearly three hours and he no longer had feeling in his toes. His flash light was dying as something blue and red caught his eye. He called out as Steve's shield came fully into view, and rushed over to where it lay. Howard dislodged the shield and saw Steve's compass sitting under it, where it must have fallen during the crash.

One of the men shouted, and Howard turned to see Steve, slumped over in the chair, eyes closed and skin pale. "No, Steve. No, no, no." Howard muttered as he looked at the frozen soldier.

****

Two days later, Peggy had just gotten home from the new pub she was becoming a regular at when the phone started ringing.

"Peggy Carter."

"Peggy, its Howard."

"Howard? Of course, who else would call this late? Are you back?" Peggy looked at her red nail polish as she listened.

"We'll be back in the morning. Listen, can you come meet the ship, when we dock tomorrow?"

"Why?" Peggy focused back on her conversation when she heard Howard's serious tone.

"Peg, just be there. Please?"

"Howard, you better tell me-"

"Peggy I have to go. Just be there. 9 a.m. sharp." Howard hung up the phone before Peggy could get another word in.

Peggy hung up the phone and wondered why Howard wanted to meet her there. She had a bad feeling in the bottom of her stomach that she hoped was from the cheap scotch and decided not to worry until she saw Howard.

****

The sun was shining much too brightly as far as Peggy was concerned as she waited at the docks the next morning. Howard's ship was being tied down as she waited for him to appear. Men started coming off the ship as Peggy was beginning to grow impatient. Howard finally came down and Peggy was surprised to see his usually pristinely shaven face dark with stubble. He looked worn down and as he spotted her, Peggy felt the bad feeling in her stomach return.

Howard grabbed Peggy and pulled her off to the side before he said anything. When he was sure no one could hear them he let her go and then just looked at her. Peggy waited for him to say something before saying, "Howard, you're scaring me."

"We found… Peggy, we found him."

All the blood rushed out of Peggy's face as she realized what Howard was saying. "You found him? Where is he? I have to see-"

Howard grabbed her by the shoulders and held her in place as she tried to walk away. "No, Peggy. You can't."

She looked at Howard as a sense of dread overcame her. She didn't think she could stand losing Steve twice, but she had to ask. "Is he- Did he-" Peggy couldn't say out loud what she feared the most.

"No, he's alive."

Peggy let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and felt her knees go week with relief. She opened her mouth to yell at Howard for scaring her when he cut her off.

"But he's… I don't know Peggy. He was frozen when we found him. He's thawed out now, he just won't wake up."

"I don't understand."

"Look, I'm taking him to my house. I have a team of doctors already there waiting for us. They're going to figure out what's wrong with him, and they're going to get him back."

Peggy just nodded her head as Howard spoke, numb as she thought about how close she was to getting Steve back, and fearing that it may not happen after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Peggy sat outside Steve's room. She had been sitting there for what felt like hours as doctors walked in and out, mumbling under their breath as they read charts and scribbled on clipboards. Howard sat down next to her with a weary sigh and held his head in his hands.

"You know you can go in and see him, right?" Howard asked through his hands.

Peggy looked at the door for a minute before quietly responding, "I wouldn't want to be in the way."

"If there was anyone that he would want in there, in the way or not, it would be you. You know that."

She nodded at Howard's words while staring blankly at the wall. She had been quiet for so long Howard was startled when she began speaking. "You know, I haven't cried. I haven't shed a single tear for him. Because then it would be real. I hadn't even begun to grieve him, and now he's here. And if I go in there, and see him alive, but gone, I'm afraid I won't ever stop crying."

"He'll be ok, Peg. He just needs some time." Howard said as he laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Maybe if he knew you were there, he would try a little harder to get back. You know he would never leave you if he had a choice."

A stray tear found its way down Peggy's cheek, which she quickly wiped away after hearing the truth in Howards words. She took a deep breath and stood, giving Howard a small smile before opening the door and going in to Steve's room.

****

Peggy was slowly losing all hope. She had been sitting next to Steve's bed for almost two hours while doctors came and went, and there had been no change. He was just lying there, pale and so still. The last doctor left the room, and she was finally all alone with him, but she sat, frozen to her seat.

She had been contemplating taking his hand or something when he stirred, startling her out of her musings. Seeing him move relieved all her fears and she quickly grabbed his hand. "Steve. Steve, can you hear me?"

He stirred again, and Peggy held her breath waiting to see if he would open his eyes. He lifted his head briefly and then laid it back down before slowly opening his eyes.

Steve blinked several times, trying to bring the room into focus. He closed his eyes, trying to get his bearings when he realized someone was holding his hand. He squeezed the hand he held and heard, "Steve?" He recognized the voice and smiled before opening his eyes again and seeing her.

Peggy felt the room settle around her as Steve's eye focused on her. She smiled her first real smile in days as Steve smiled back at her.

"Hey, beautiful."

****

Later that night, Peggy was sitting on the bed watching while Steve ate dinner. They were chatting about what he had missed while he finished his soup when he suddenly got a very serious look on his.

"What's the matter?" Peggy asked, getting ready to call for the doctors.

"Nothing. No, I'm fine. I just… want to tell you something." He reached over to get something out of the nightstand as Peggy nodded for him to go ahead. "I don't really know how to explain this, but I've kept this with me for a while now." He opened the compass to show it to her. She took it and looked at the picture of herself with a small smile.

"I know. There was a film of you on the front lines, and I saw it. I was sitting next to Colonel Philips at the time too, which was dreadfully awkward, as you can imagine."

Steve laughed. "I bet. But what I wanted to tell you is…" He took a deep breath as Peggy looked at him in amusement. "I didn't keep your picture in my compass just because of your good looks. I did it, because you give me courage." Steve took the compass back from her and looked at her picture, smiling as he ran a finger over it. "I'm glad Howard found it when he found me, so that I can show it to you and tell you that without you, I wouldn't have been able to down that plane."

"Steve-"

"No, listen. I wanted to do the right thing and save those people, but without you talking to me, and without me being able to see your beautiful face, I don't think I could've done it. Even though I knew I probably wouldn't ever see you again, you made it seem like it was going to be ok. And I want you to know that if things had been different, if things had… ended for me in that plane, the only regret I would have had was that we never got that dance."

Peggy sniffled as she wiped away the tear she hadn't been able to hold back and laughed. "And yet, you're late."

Steve raised his hand to her cheek as he laughed back at her. "I tried my best." He looked in her eyes as he pulled her down and kissed her. It was better than they both remembered, exciting and soothing at the same time, and they both cherished the moment, wishing it would never end. He pulled back when he felt tears on the back of his hand and realized Peggy was crying. "What's wrong?"

"I just… I can't believe you're alive. I'm just… so happy." They grinned at each and leaned in for another kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

Three weeks later

Strategic Scientific Reserve Office – New York City

Peggy was standing at the file cabinet muttering curses under her breath as she filed reports for Agent Thompson. Why the damned man couldn't just file the reports himself she had no idea, although remembering his reaction when she suggested she teach him the alphabet did help pass the time. She was so focused on filing and cursing that she missed the office suddenly becoming very still as the elevators on the far side from her opened and several gentlemen stepped out.

When she realized the space had become unnaturally quiet she turned toward the elevators, and smiled as she saw what all the commotion was about. After all, there was only one man that could make highly skilled and expertly trained federal agents gape like school children. Her smile grew bigger as Steve's eyes met hers and he returned the smile, and she couldn't help but think, again, how good he looked in his dress uniform. Steve's attention was quickly captured by her boss, Chief Dooley, but he winked at her before the chief dragged him on a tour of the office.

Steve tried earnestly to listen as Chief Dooley told him all about the SSR and the missions they were currently working on, but he couldn't help but look for Peggy every couple of minutes. He couldn't wait for the part of the tour that took him her way so he could "meet" her.

The last three weeks since he had been found had been both wonderful and trying. It had taken him longer than he would have preferred to get back to 100%, and that had been hard for them both.

*  
Steve had been frustrated because he was supposed to be strong, but for several days after he woke up he could only get out of bed for a few minutes at a time. He didn't want to admit how tiring even a simple walk down the hall was so he snapped at the nurses and became short with everyone.

The more Peggy worried about him, the shorter his temper became until they were at odds. Peggy considered herself lucky she was an agent and had been trained to withstand stressful situations, but it wasn't long before she became exasperated with him.

"Steve, what's going on? You're short with me, you were downright rude to one of the nurses yesterday. Are you not feeling well?"

Steve huffed out a breath before responding, "I'm fine Peggy. Stop asking me that."

Peggy looked down to collect her thoughts while she smoothed his blankets. "Is it me? Do you… do you want me to go?"

Steve's eyes snapped quickly back to hers as a look of shock crossed his face, followed quickly by remorse. He grabbed her hand. "No. I want you right here. I'm sorry, Peg. I really am. I'm just so... frustrated. I'm Captain America, it shouldn't take me this long to get better. Wasn't that the point of the serum? So that I can recover quickly and be back to… normal?"

Peggy sat down on the bed next to him as she pushed his hair back off his forehead. "What's the rush? You're here, alive. That's all anyone cares about. It's only been a few days since you were found frozen, like an icicle. No one would blame you if you took a few days to recover. And I'm not going anywhere. So can you please go back to your usual, annoyingly cheerful self? You might heal more quickly that way."

Steve smiled his shy, uncertain smile at her before squeezing her hand. "I guess it's worth a shot. I'm sorry."

"Yes, well, you're forgiven. This time. Next time I won't be so nice about it."

They smiled at each other before he pulled her in for a kiss. They pressed their lips together, so happy to share that moment with each other, when they heard someone clearing their throat. Steve pulled away and saw one of the doctors standing at the foot of his bed. He chuckled and looked back at Peggy. "Every time. Of course."

She smiled back at him. "It's alright. As long as they help get you healthy, they can interrupt anytime."

"All the reason to get better that much sooner."

Peggy laughed and kissed him again, quickly, before standing up and turning to leave. She nodded at the doctor on her way out as Steve watched, already wishing she was back.

*

Steve was pulled from his reverie by Chief Dooley introducing him to an Agent Sousa. Sousa leaned heavily on a crutch from what Steve assumed was from a war injury. He listened as the agent told him about his latest investigation, but was quickly distracted when Peggy walked past on her way back to her desk. Chief Dooley noticed his distraction and called Peggy over.

"Agent Carter, come here." He turned to Steve as she approached. "Captain Rogers, this is Agent Peggy Carter. Carter, Captain Steve Rogers, also known as, Captain America."

Steve extended his hand to Peggy who took it as she tried to hide a smile. "Hi, Peggy was it?"

"Yes, hello Captain. Lovely to meet you."

"You as well. How do you like working for the SSR?"

Peggy looked down as she once again had to hide a smile. Steve of course already knew how she felt about her coworkers, Chief Dooley in particular, but she knew she couldn't voice those opinions out loud.

"I find it quite challenging. It's an honor to continue to serve."

"I agree completely. I thought I would be at loose ends when we defeated Hydra and the Nazi's, but they seem to be finding tasks for me to do; they even let me do some things that don't require wearing tights."

Peggy gently laughed, remembering the costume and how uncomfortable Steve always seemed in it. "Well, I hope they're not keeping you too busy. I hope you are finding some time to enjoy yourself"

"I am. In fact, I've recently discovered the joys of dancing."

"Really? What inspired you to take up dancing?"

"I finally found the right partner."

Chief Dooley and Agent Sousa watched as Peggy and Steve talked. They both noticed how the two couldn't stop smiling at each other, and Agent Sousa doubted they even knew he and the chief were still standing there. He cleared his throat and excused himself, watching as he startled the pair in front of him out of their conversation. Peggy nodded at him as Steve shook his hand again before Agent Sousa walked back to his desk.

After Sousa left, Chief Dooley suggested that he and Captain Rogers go look over the file Steve had been called in about. Steve said goodbye to Peggy and they went their separate directions, both looking over their shoulders several times before Steve and Dooley walked into a conference room. Dooley pulled the cover over the window and they all got to work.

****

A few hours later Peggy was walking down the hall toward the file cabinet when the door to her right suddenly swung open and a hand reached out. Before she knew it, she was pulled into the conference room and the door slammed behind her. She opened her mouth to protest but suddenly found her lips busy as Steve pressed her back against the door. They kissed for a few moments before Peggy regained her wits and pulled back.

"Steve we can't, not here."

Steve kissed her again and was pleased when she responded as if she hadn't just tried to get him to stop. It was a few minutes later when he finally pulled back needing to catch his breath and get himself back under control before things went too far. He pressed his forehead against hers as he heard her breathing level out and finally pulled away enough to look into her eyes.

Peggy was trying desperately to appear angry at Steve for distracting her and pulling her into the room with him. She knew when she met his eyes though that he wasn't buying it and he knew she was just as desperate for alone time as he was.

"Let me take you out tonight. I still owe you a dance."

Peggy smiled. "We've been dancing three times already this week. I think you've made up for the night you missed."

Steve kissed her again, briefly, before responding. "I know. I just really like dancing with you."

This time it was Peggy that pulled him into a kiss and they stayed like that for a few moments before they heard a door slam door the hall. Steve jumped back, finally out of reach of the tempting agent and started straightening his uniform. "I'm sorry. You're right, we shouldn't do this here. I wouldn't want to get you in trouble."

Peggy made a noise of agreement before responding. "Yes, well they'd have to notice me for me to get in trouble, so I don't think that will be a problem."

His uniform put back to rights, Steve stepped back to Peggy and ran a hand down her hair. "They'll notice you soon enough. You're too good of an agent for them not to. Hey, maybe you could punch one of them in the face. It worked for you once before."

Peggy laughed before cracking the door open and looking out. She saw that the coast was clear, so she grabbed Steve and pecked him quickly on the lips before leaving. She turned back and winked at him when she heard him quietly ask if he was going to see her later, and walked as calmly as she could back to her desk.

She had just sat down when Agent Thompson came to her asking for the file he had sent her to fetch. After she promised him she was on her way to get it, she couldn't help but remember the days of the Howling Commandos when the last thing she had been asked to do was retrieve bloody paperwork.


	4. Chapter 4

Peggy was furious. She was so furious that her coworkers at the SSR had taken notice and were doing their level best to stay out her way. For the last hour and a half she had been alternating between slamming her desk drawers while muttering under her breath and jumping up from her seat every time the phone on her desk rang and rushing out into the hall.

Finally deciding he had had enough, Agent Sousa approached her desk when she had gone to sit back down for the fifth time.

"Carter, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Agent Sousa. Why?" Peggy asked while scribbling something down on her notepad before diving into a drawer to look for something.

"Well, it's just… you've been acting… a little erratically this morning. And it's kind of distracting, to be honest."

Peggy looked around and noticed some of the other agents watching her. She dropped her pen and took a deep breath before standing up, as calmly as she could manage, and walking out into the hall, knowing she had everyone's attention. She went to the end of it and stood in front of the window, looking out onto the busy street. She heard Sousa walk up behind her. He stopped a respectful distance away and waited.

"Thank you, for pointing out my unprofessional behavior." Peggy said after a few moments.

"That's not why I said something. You clearly have something on your mind and I thought you might want to talk about it."

"Yes, well I don't." Peggy responded as she continued to look out the window.

Sousa waited for another minute before giving up. "Fine, suit yourself."

Peggy immediately felt bad for being rude to him when he was just trying to help. She turned and called out, "Daniel. Wait. I'm sorry."

He turned back to her and waited while she collected her thoughts.

"Did you know that during the war, I was active in the European campaign?" Peggy asked. She smiled when he shook his head. "Yes well, I wouldn't expect you to know that. During the war, I had a sense of purpose. I was able to use my skills, and my intelligence to make a difference."

"Is that why you're upset? I know you're being treated more like a secretary than an agent, but-"

"No, no, that's not it. This isn't really public knowledge, but during the war I was heavily involved in Project Rebirth. I helped train and evaluate the men we were looking at for the project."

Sousa thought about what she said for a moment. "You already knew Captain America."

"Yes. Steve and I worked quite closely together fighting against Hydra."

"Why the act when he's here? Why do you keep your distance?"

"Because I don't want to only be known as Captain America's… girl."

"Are you his girl?"

Peggy crossed her arms and leaned against the window frame instead of answering his question.

"Ok, I guess that answers that question. I still don't see the problem."

Peggy scoffed and turned back to the window. "Steve is the most wonderful person I have ever met. It almost killed me when I lost him the first time. Now, he's back to work, and as I was informed on the phone this morning, he's about to leave for Europe to go track down Hydra's remaining camps. And I can't go through that again."

"Well then why don't you tell him that?" Peggy froze when she heard not Agent Sousa, but the voice of the object of her current ire. She slowly turned and saw Steve standing there while Agent Sousa retreated back into the office.

They stood there staring at each other for a few moments before Steve grabbed her hand and pulled her into a conference room. She found it ironic he chose this one, where they had stolen so much time together, but she pushed that thought away when he closed the door.

"Peggy, I'm sorry-"

"Stop. I don't want to hear it."

"Will you just let me-" Peggy turned to go to the door, but Steve stood in her way, intent on talking to her. She turned back toward the wall and crossed her arms.

"Why are you here?" She asked over her shoulder.

Steve threw his hands up in frustration and took a deep breath to calm himself. "You wouldn't answer the phone."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Why are you being like this?"

Deciding this might take a while, Peggy sat down at the table and started examining her nails. She really needed to fix her polish. Steve sat down across from her and took her hands in his, forcing her to look at him.

"Peggy, talk to me."

Peggy blew out a breath, and looking into his eyes, realized she wanted to tell him, desperately, what was bothering her. "You know, I never really worried about you. You can take care of yourself, you are loyal, brave, and one of the best soldiers I have ever seen. And on top of that you are an incredibly wonderful man. You're a hero." She looked down at their joined hands, cherishing the feeling if so warm over hers. "But you are only human. And I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to send the man that I …" Peggy trailed off, hesitant about sharing her feelings. Steve squeezed her hands, reminding her that he was there and what they had was real and amazing. "I don't know how to send you, the man I love, off to war."

Steve bent down and kissed both of her hands. He looked in her eyes and said, "I love you, too."

She huffed in exasperation and shook his hands off as she stood. "Then why are you doing this? Why are you leaving? I already lost you once."

Steve stood up and walked around the table before grabbing her by the shoulders and making her look at him. He ran his hands up and down her arms trying to calm her down before gently cupping her face. "I didn't think you were scared of anything."

Peggy sniffed and blinked to clear the tears out her eyes, as she grabbed the front of his jacket. "I'm afraid of having to live this life without you." Steve smiled and brought her lips to his. He tried to pour all his love into the kiss, communicating his need for her. She wrapped her arms around his back , holding him close while they savored each other. He pulled back a few moments later but only far enough to rest his forehead against hers.

"I don't want to live without you either. But this is my job. This is what I was meant to do, you told me that."

Peggy looked into Steve's eyes and whispered, "I know."

"I can't spend my life behind a desk. As long as there is a threat, as long as there are bad guys, I have to be out there, keeping the world, keeping you, safe."

Peggy heard the conviction in Steve's voice. She knew he was right. She also knew that if she asked, he would stay with her, out of harms way. And they would both hate that.

"You're right, of course. Just be careful." Peggy pulled him down for another kiss before pulling away and smoothing his tie. "You probably need to get going."

"Yeah I do. I just have to collect the last member of my team." Steve brushed her hair back from her forehead and smiled at her. "So, are you ready to go?"

"What? Go where?"

"Europe. I need your help going after whatever is left of Hydra."

"Really?"

"Well, if you would have let me finish on the phone, or picked it up, I could have told you. We need someone with your skill set to help lead operations. The rest of the Commandos are waiting over there for us; we're getting the team back together."

Peggy laughed, "I need ten minutes to pack."


	5. Chapter 5

Peggy never thought she would miss the smell of gun powder in the morning. But being back in action with the Howling Commandos was exactly where she wanted to be. She was dirty and sweaty and hadn't had a decent cup of tea in three days but it was all worth it to be back with her friends and her love, fighting to take down what was left of Hydra.

They had been tracking one of Schmidt's senior generals for the last three days near the Poland – Russia border. They were trying to find his hideout in order to collect the last of Hydra's weaponry. So far, they'd been extremely unlucky and it just kept getting worse. Their truck had broken down several hours ago and it was getting dark and cold. They had built a fire and were currently eating horrible tasting rations as the sun sank down over the trees.

Peggy was just starting to shiver when Steve sat down next to her with his dinner. He scooted closer and she wrapped her arms around one of his, grateful for his body heat. She put her head on his shoulder as he ate and enjoyed the temporary respite.

The quiet ended quickly when Timothy Dum Dum Dugan sat down across the fire from them. Not only was he quite possibly the loudest chewer Peggy had ever encountered, he immediately started reminiscing about the last time they were all together. Peggy was enjoying his stories and starting to relax when Dugan started talking about her. Specifically, her and Steve.

"I can't tell you how glad I am you guys are finally together. Don't get me wrong, I loved the whole will they/ won't they thing, all that sexual tension. And the two of you sneaking looks at each other when you thought no one would notice was highly entertaining, but I'm happy you figured it all out. It's nice to see you both so happy."

Peggy relaxed after hearing his mostly innocent statement. "Thank you Tim. We're really happy to be here, back with all of you."

Dugan laughed in disbelief. "I bet you'd be happy wherever you were, as long as you're together."

Steve smiled at Peggy before answering. "That's true."

Peggy smiled fondly back at Steve and released his arm to grab her coffee off the ground. She took a sip as Dugan asked, "So, when's the wedding?"

She felt the hot liquid hit her throat at the same time his question sank in and found herself suddenly choking on her coffee. She spit it out of her mouth and gaped at Tim while trying to catch her breath. Steve patted her on the back as she coughed, fighting to keep a straight face.

He honestly wasn't that surprised that Dugan had brought up marriage. What surprised him about the current situation was how Peggy was reacting. He didn't expect her to choke on her coffee at the mere mention of a wedding, and he wasn't sure what it meant. Steve had been thinking about it a lot and was just trying to find the right time to bring it up, but maybe he should wait if just the talk of marriage made her spit her food out.

Peggy finally got her breath back and wiped her mouth, looking at Steve before she said anything. He was rubbing small circles on her back and looked lost in thought. She had been expecting him to have a reaction similar to hers, figuring that as the male in the relationship he would be more terrified of the thought of marriage. But when she saw him thinking, she remembered the kind of person he was. They had been together for several months, and had danced around each other for almost a year before that. Added to that, they loved each other, so of course he was thinking about marriage.

Realizing it had been quiet for too long, she looked at their companions and cleared her throat.

"Um, we haven't… I mean, we…"

Peggy had never been so glad to hear Steve interrupt her. "We'll let you know once I finally get around to asking."

All the men chuckled while Peggy felt herself grow tense, before Steve continued. "But there's really no rush. We're together, and that's all that counts."

Steve looked at Peggy as she released the breath she had been holding and smiled when she looked back at him. Peggy relaxed more as she looked at his wonderful smile and smiled back. She still felt uneasy about the situation, but she knew it wasn't the time to worry about it. They had a mission to complete, after all.

She once again wrapped her arms around one of his and they moved closer to each other before Dugan, deciding to give the couple a break, started another story.

****

She had survived a bloody war, gone without food for days, lived through some seriously terrible conditions, and Peggy couldn't for the life of her remember ever being as miserable as she was trying to sleep on the cold, hard ground. The men had let her sleep under one of the trucks so she had some semblance of shelter, but it was so bloody cold and rocky that she could not get comfortable. She rolled over with a sigh for what felt like the 200th time and tried to settle down. She went on alert though, when she heard footsteps stop near the truck.

Peggy laid very still as she listened for more footsteps but didn't hear anything. She heard gravel crunch and then someone sighed, almost as if they were laying close to her. She opened her eyes and saw Steve lying next to the truck.

"You know, you're going to keep the whole camp awake with all of your rustling and sighing." Steve said with a smile.

"I know. This ground is just so hard, and cold." She heard more rustling as he sat up to take off his jacket. "No, no, Steve. I can't take your coat, you'll freeze."

Steve smiled sheepishly at her, "Yeah, but you'll be warm."

Peggy smiled and shook her head.

"What can I do? If you don't want my jacket, let me go check the trucks, see if there's something else you can use."

Steve started to stand but Peggy grabbed him before he got too far. She looked around the camp, seeing if anyone was still awake before speaking. "Will you just come lay with me?"

Steve looked a little scared at her request. Neither wanted to push the other too far, but it was getting harder and harder for them to pull apart from each other every time they were alone together. Peggy seemed to be reading his thoughts when she said, "Just to help keep me warm." He smiled shyly at her and climbed under the truck next to her. There was an awkward moment when neither knew exactly what to do before Steve put his arm around her and Peggy rolled to her side and rested her head on his chest. He laid his head down, relaxing on his back as they got comfortable in each others arms.

It was only a few minutes later when she heard Steve say, "You're right, this ground is really hard." She laughed and replied, "See, I'm not just being dramatic."

Steve whispered back, "I thought you were doing it so I'd come rescue you."

She didn't respond right away trying to think of a clever come back. She knew she should have responded more quickly when Steve began to babble, "Not that you need me to rescue you. You're a strong woman, after all. Tough. Brave. A trained agent so you'd probably-"

Peggy had taken her head off his chest to watch him try to fix whatever he had said wrong. Deciding he wasn't going to stop anytime soon, she leaned down and stopped his rambling with her lips. They kissed for few moments, but Peggy pulled back and put her head back down. They settled in together and Peggy was almost asleep when she heard Steve speak, "I do want to marry you, you know."

Peggy smiled before whispering, "I'd like that. Very much."

They both feel asleep with a smile on their face.

****

Steve and Peggy had been traipsing through Europe with the Howling Commandos for the last three weeks. They had found several small camps where Hydra had recently been hiding out, but it took them longer than any of them preferred to find General Reinhardt.

They were in the forest just inside the Russian border watching the activity in a known Hydra camp. They had been waiting to see if Reinhardt was present for several hours when Happy Sam Sawyer signaled from his spot down the road that he had spotted the general. Steve nodded at the men, and they moved out.

Peggy tried not to be resentful that they had delegated her as the lookout. She told herself that at least she was there, and that waiting at home, not knowing what was going on was an unacceptable alternative. She lost sight of Steve and the men as they went down the hill, and waited until she saw them reappear near the entrance to the camp.

She saw them all take position and watched Steve signal to blow the gates. Peggy watched through the smoke as the commandos went in. There was a lot of activity as the Hydra soldiers tried to fight or get away, but it wasn't too long before they had Reinhardt in custody and the rest of the men taken care of. She jumped into the truck and rode down into the camp as more SSR agents arrived. Not wanting to seem like an over protective girlfriend, she checked in with Dugan first before going over to Steve. Seeing he didn't have scratch on him she left to go talk to the other agents.

****

Peggy was going through crates, photographing the contents before members of the SSR stored them away to be taken back to the States for analysis. She was almost done when she heard someone step up next to her. She was preparing to tell them to go away when she felt a familiar hand on her lower back. She smiled up at Steve as she handed the camera to an agent.

He leaned down to her and whispered, "Come with me."

Peggy looked around, finding everyone occupied before nodding at him. He led her away, one hand at her waist as they exited the camp. They walked for a few minutes, back into the forest, before Peggy's curiosity won out. She stopped and turned to him.

"Steve, what's going on? Where are we going?"

"I just wanted a minute alone with you. We've been so busy these last couple of weeks that we haven't had time together. I haven't taken you dancing in almost a month."

Peggy laughed. "Steve. That is incredibly sweet, but you know I don't care about that. We've been together this whole time, that's enough for me."

Steve smiled and kissed her quickly before stepping back. He took the bag that he had slung over his shoulder off and kneeled down to pull stuff out of it. Peggy watched as he pulled out a blanket and what looked like a bottle of vodka before he spread out the blanket and sat down. He looked up at her and held out his hand. Peggy smiled and sat down with him, grateful she wasn't in a skirt as she settled in between his legs. He pulled her against his chest and she relaxed against him, deciding to make the most of their time. He opened the bottle and took a swig before handing it to her. She looked at the bottle and then back at him with her eyebrow raised.

"What? It was all they had."

Peggy smiled thinly before taking a sip. She felt the burn as it went down her throat and briefly wished it was scotch. She put the bottle down and leaned back against him, pleased when his arms came around her. They sat in the silence, enjoying the sunshine and each others presence. Peggy closed her eyes and rested her head against Steve's shoulder while he sat lost in thought. She was just thinking that they should go back to the camp before she fell asleep when Steve spoke.

"Do you remember that thing that we talked about a few weeks ago?"

Peggy thought for a minute, her sleepy mind struggling to remember what he was talking about. "Mmmm, what thing?"

Steve cleared his throat and paused before answering. Peggy had noticed Steve's hesitation but she wasn't prepared for what he said next. "That thing about… getting married?"

Peggy tried to sit up but Steve held her against him. "No, Peggy, just listen. I know that we haven't been together for that long. But we have been through… well, a lot doesn't really seem to cover it, but we've been through a lot. And all of it, everything that has happened since I met you has made me realize that I want nothing more than to be with you. I want to come home to you, I want to grow old with you, I want the whole picture; kids, house, family, everything. I want to go on missions with you, and know that you'll be there when things get hard. And I know this is fast, I know it hasn't been that long, but life is short."

Steve stopped as Peggy wiggled her way out of his arms and turned to him. She rested on her knees in front of him and took his face in her hands. "It's not fast. We almost didn't get the chance to be anything, and I don't want to waste any more time. So yes, to all of it, I want everything." She saw Steve's face light up with a smile before she pressed her lips to his. They held each other close as they celebrated their love. Steve pulled back after a few moments and took her face in his hands. He smiled at her.

"Can I ask my question now?"

They laughed as Peggy leaned back and he dropped his hands. "Yes, sorry, go ahead."

Steve shook his head at her and reached into his pocket. He pulled out his compass and opened it before showing it to her. In the compass, resting under her picture was a simple gold band with a small ruby. He took it out of the compass and held it out. "I've had this with me since before we got called to come here. I wasn't really sure how to ask you to marry me, so I've been waiting a while. But here, with our friends close and a mission completed, it seems like the right time."

Peggy laughed as she pressed her hands to her lips, trying to hold back tears.

"Peggy, will you marry me?"

She had to wipe tears away before putting her hands on his face and nodding. "Of course I will."

They kissed once more before he put the ring on her finger. They couldn't stop smiling as they kissed and laughed and Peggy thought it was the perfect moment.

Or at least, it was perfect, until she heard Dugan say from the trees, "We better be invited to the wedding!"


	6. Chapter 6

One week. Peggy smiled as she thought about how in just one week she would be Mrs. Steve Rogers. She laid her cheek on Steve's chest as he led them around the dance floor at the Stork Club. Even though he still preferred the slow songs, he really had become quite the dancer. He hadn't even stepped on her toes that first time.

They moved around the floor, holding each other close as they both thought about what was to come. Peggy thought of the simple ceremony they were having, complete with all their friends and more pleasant colleagues. She hoped it would be a perfect reflection of not only her and Steve's relationship but also who they were as people.

Steve couldn't wait to start their new life. They already had a lease for an apartment not too far from the office, and now they were just waiting for it to be official before they moved in. He had been secretly working on it for the last few weeks, trying to make sure it was perfect for Peggy, and he hoped she would like the changes he had made.

The song ended and Peggy looked up at Steve and stepped back as the band transitioned into the next song. She said with a sad smile, "We should probably get going."

Steve shook his head and kissed her quickly, gathering her close again as he started moving. "One more song."

Peggy settled against him as she laughed. "You said that half an hour ago."

"I know. I just…" Steve trailed off with a serious, faraway look on his face.

Peggy looked into his eyes, trying to tell what he was thinking, remembering how for the last few days he had been staying close to her more often, and he had always been holding her hand or resting his hand on the small of her back. "Steve. Talk to me."

Steve thought for another moment before meeting her eyes and giving her a solemn look. "This might sound ridiculous, but I don't want to let you go. I'm afraid that if I do, if I let you go, I'm going to wake up and discover that none of this is real, that's it just a dream."

Peggy smiled and kissed him, not as quickly as he had kissed her earlier, before lying her head back on his shoulder. "Then we'll keep dancing, until you know it's real."

Steve placed a kiss on the top of her head and closed his eyes as they swayed to the music.

****

It was more than a few songs later when they stood at her front door. He had said good-bye several minutes earlier but had made the mistake of leaning in for a kiss. Now, he could hear a voice in the back of his mind telling him to go home, but he just couldn't step back. She tasted and smelled so good, and having her in his arms made him forget everything else. All he could focus on was the feel of her and how perfectly she fit; her lips against his, her arms around him, her heart beating a quickened rhythm against his. Perfect.

Peggy was a woman of the world. She had studied, trained in the army, and faced action on the battle field. She wasn't exactly one to stand on tradition, but for the last several months she had been trying to keep Steve at arm's length, only letting their physical relationship go so far before she would pull back. She had told him she wanted to wait until they were married, and she had a reason, she knew she did. But with her back pressed against her front door and Steve pressed against her front, she was struggling to remember what exactly that reason was.

She of course knew how this worked, one couldn't be friends with Howard Stark without gaining a basic understanding of the pleasure to be found between a man and a woman after all, but she was generally hesitant to rush into anything. Or at least, she had been, until this very moment, when all she could think was how wonderful he felt against her.

They were both lost in the moment, so much so that they almost missed the sound of someone coming up the stairs. Luckily, that person seemed to have spent their evening in a bottle of liquor and stumbled as they got to the top of the stairs. Steve heard the noise just in time to grab Peggy's keys out of her hand and push them both into the apartment before the interrupter entered the hallway.

High on passion and adrenaline from almost getting caught, Peggy couldn't stop the giggle that rose from her throat. Not wanting to get caught, Steve tried to shush Peggy, but just ended up laughing with her. They were shushing each other and trying to keep their laughter down when they realized they were still wrapped up in each other. One look at Steve's face and Peggy knew he felt the same way she did. This time it was Steve who had his back on the door as Peggy pushed him against it and reached up to kiss him.

Their mouths met with a clash as the passion they had felt in the hallway caught them again. Steve ran his hands through her hair before grabbing her shoulders and flipping them. He pinned Peggy against the door and increased the pressure of his kiss, feeling like he was never going to get enough of her. He didn't even realized she had unbuttoned his jacket until she was pushing it off his shoulders. He let go of her to shrug out of it and then grabbed her waist, pulling her fully against him. He grabbed her hands when he felt them working on the buttons of his shirt but she distracted him by biting his tongue. His cupped her face with his hands, and was finally able to pull back when he felt her tugging his shirt out of his pants.

"Wait, wait, wait." Steve said. They both stood there looking at each other and breathing heavily, waiting to see if the other would make the next move. Steve stroked his thumb down her cheek and said, "I should go."

Peggy looked at him for a long moment, before shaking her head. "Stay."

He started to ask if she was sure when she kissed him and started pushing him back toward her bedroom. Neither of them said another thing for a long time.

****

Peggy awoke alone in her bed several hours later. She felt the cold sheets on the other side of the bed and wondered if Steve had left. She got up and pulled on her robe as she went into the living room to look for him.

Steve had been sitting on the couch since shortly after Peggy had fallen asleep. He certainly hadn't been planning on that happening tonight, but he couldn't regret it. They had finally been together, and it was so much more than he had imagined. He had held Peggy close as she fell asleep, fully intending to follow her into slumber when he started thinking about the next week. The Commandos had already come to town and were planning on taking him out for a night before the wedding and that's when the memories came flooding back to him. He left the warm bed to go sit on the couch and think about the one person who wouldn't show up to see him marry Peggy.

Little boys growing up don't usually think about their weddings. Steve hadn't planned his wedding when he was little, but he never, even for a second, considered that James "Bucky" Barnes wouldn't be there when he tied the knot. Sitting on Peggy's couch, he was suddenly wracked with guilt. He had been so busy between the SSR, the new apartment and Peggy, that he hadn't even thought of his friend in weeks. Now, in the aftermath of the most amazing night he had ever spent on this earth, he missed his friend like a limb. He mourned the fact that he could never tell Bucky about Peggy, and blush when Bucky would have patted him on the back and congratulated him. He knew standing in that church, waiting for Peggy to walk towards him wouldn't be the same without his friend, his brother in everything but blood.

Steve was dragged from his thoughts when Peggy padded out from the bedroom. "Hey, what are you doing awake?"

Peggy smiled as she sat down next to him, dragging a blanket over them. "I woke up and you were gone." Peggy answered as she snuggled into his side.

He wrapped his arm around her and tucked the blanket securely around her. "I know. I couldn't sleep and I didn't want to disturb you."

"You could have, you know."

Steve kissed the top of her head. "I love you. You know that?"

Peggy smiled as she shifted and got more comfortable. "Yes. I do. I love you too." They sat in silence, Peggy wondering what had dragged Steve out of bed and Steve still missing his best friend. "Are you alright?" Peggy asked.

"Yeah. I will be." Steve said, and Peggy nodded absentmindedly, hearing his detached tone, before responding, trying to lighten his seemingly dark mood.

"You know, leaving a woman alone in bed and looking upset doesn't do much for said woman's confidence."

Steve was broken out of his thoughts hearing Peggy's sassy tone and he couldn't help but laugh. "You… Earlier, that was… unbelievable. I've never been happier in my life."

"Then why do you look sad?" When Steve paused, once again lost in thought, Peggy knew. She had been wondering for a few days, as the wedding got closer, if the absence of a certain Commando wouldn't get to him. "Wait, I have something for you."

Peggy threw the blanket back as she got up and walked to the closet. She pulled out a small, wrapped package and walked back to the couch, handing the gift to Steve as she sat down. Back under the blanket together, Steve looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Open it."

Steve unwrapped the present and saw a picture frame. He turned it over and his eyes welled with tears as he saw a photograph of him and Bucky from their Commando days. The picture had been taken by one of the army photographers when they had been in a camp somewhere in Europe. They were laughing together, unaware that they were on camera, a rare, light moment in the midst of chaos and war.

Steve laughed as he remembered the moment and asked Peggy, "Do you know why we were laughing?" Peggy shook her head as he continued. "He was teasing me about you. He kept telling me to ask you out, and he was offering me pointers. He just kept saying how he knew more about women and I could use his advice. He really believed that you were special, and that you and I would be…well, what we are." Peggy smiled and shifted so she could run her hand down his hair.

"We'll have to find the perfect place in the new apartment to hang it. You'll want him close." Steve nodded as he continued to look at the picture. "It's ok to miss him, you know. And it's ok to be sad, sometimes. I didn't know him very well, but I'm sure he wouldn't want you to feel bad about being happy, even if he's not here."

Steve looked at Peggy and thought again how lucky he was. "Thank you." He leaned over and kissed her softly. She cupped his cheek and deepened the kiss, trying to sooth him.

She pulled back and looked into his eyes. They smiled at each other as the sun started rising over buildings.

"Should we go back to bed?" Steve asked, shifting as Peggy shivered.

"No, let's stay here. Tell me more about him."

Steve drew Peggy closer and tucked the blanket around her again. He told her story after story of all their adventures from childhood and growing up in Brooklyn. As the sun rose over New York City and another day began, they sat together remembering a friend, a brother.

Steve thought about how things would never be the same, but he knew Bucky would always hold a special place in his heart. As sunshine and warmth flooded the apartment, he knew Bucky would want him to be happy, and as he looked at his bride to be as she drifted off to sleep on his shoulder he thought he wouldn't have any problems with that.

He looked at the picture one more time before putting it on the side table and turning to Peggy. He picked her up and carried her to the now sunny bedroom. Following her into bed, he wrapped himself around her and used her warmth and strength to remind himself that not everything good was lost in the war.


	7. Chapter 7

Peggy and Steve were just stepping out of the Stork Club on a wintery New York night. They were leaving early, since the next day would be busy with wedding preparations, and were standing on the curb waiting for a cab when there was a loud commotion down the street. They turned to see several cars barreling towards them. Steve moved to shield her behind his back while Peggy reached into her purse for her sidearm. She cursed as the cars screeched to a halt in front of them, realizing her gun was at home, and several men rushed out of the first car. Steve tried to fight them off as they grabbed him, and before they knew what was happening, Steve was shoved into the car and it peeled away.

Peggy, was just starting to call for help when the doors to the second car opened. She turned, ready to fight off whoever was coming when she saw Howard and Dugan walking toward her.

"Howard, what the hell is going on?"

"Relax, Peg. We just wanted to take Steve out for one last night of fun before the two of you become… well, boring."

"Who were those men?"

"Just some old Army buddies, but don't worry, Ramirez was driving." Dugan replied with a sheepish smile. Peggy relaxed, realizing Steve was safe and was probably going to have a good time.

"Well, I don't approve of your methods, but go. Have fun boys." Howard and Dugan high fived and started walking back to the car. "I'll see you, bright and early in the morning for decorating then?"

They both stopped and groaned at her words. "Ah, come on, Peg." Howard responded. "The wedding isn't until the day after tomorrow. We can do it in the afternoon, no need to leave our warm beds too early." He elbowed Dugan who nodded.

Peggy glared at them as a cab pulled up to the curb. She went to get in and turned back before closing the door. "8 o'clock on the dot gentlemen. That's A.M. Howard." She closed the door and the cab sped away as Howard and Dugan groaned once more before getting in their car to meet up with the guys.

****

Peggy was awoken a few hours later by several loud knocks on her front door, followed by even louder voices. She grabbed her robe and headed to the door as the men on the other side of the door started loudly singing what sounded like an old war song Peggy couldn't quite place. She opened the door to see Steve, Dugan, and Howard swaying as they sang, drunkenly and off-key. They all shuffled in as they continued to sing before Steve and Dugan dumped the clearly overly intoxicated Howard on the couch and laughed as he immediately laid down and shut his eyes.

Steve smiled apologetically at her as the three of them moved into the kitchen. "I'm sorry we woke you. We were closer to here than to Howard's."

"Mmm, did you boys have a good time?"

Dugan clapped Steve on the back. "We sure did. Cap here, this guy's a riot. Do you know how much he drank? I'm surprised he's still standing"

Steve laughed. "Ok, buddy. Let's get back to the cab. You need some rest."

Dugan shook him off. "No, you stay. I can make it. You don't want to leave Stark alone with your woman, even for a second. Nice to see you Peg."

He shuffled out and slammed the door behind him. Peggy tried to hide the smile on her face as they listened to his footsteps receding toward the stairs. Steve took her hand and turned the lights off as he led her back to the bedroom.

"You shouldn't have come here, you know. Very improper for not one, but two men to be here in my apartment, when I'm not married to either."

Steve took her in his arms as she spoke. He kissed her, long and sweet, before responding. "Yes, but in about 48 hours, that will all change."

She smiled and pulled him down for another slow kiss. "Did you have fun tonight?"

Steve smiled and let her go. She got back into bed as he undressed. "I did. It was nice to see the guys, even if they were all a little crazy by the end of the night."

"Still can't get drunk?"

"Nope." Steve said as he crawled into bed next to her. "But who wants to come home drunk, when they can come home to you instead?"

Peggy smiled as she pulled him down for a kiss. They held each other close as they willed the night pass, so they'd be one day closer to the rest of their lives.

****

As she lay in bed, alone, the night before the wedding, Peggy found herself unable to sleep. Steve was staying at his own place one last time, as they were trying to stand on tradition just this once. She missed his presence though, and found herself staring at the dark ceiling wishing it was all over already. She was trying not to be one of those brides the fussed over every detail, after all who had the time, but she couldn't help but worry something was going to go wrong. She couldn't care less about the actual ceremony or the small reception afterwards, she just wanted to be married, and to know that she had the rest of her life to enjoy with Steve. She hated the thought that kept running through her mind that something would stop her and Steve from being together. They just had to get through the next few hours, and all would be well. She finally fell into a fitful sleep as she tried not to think of everything that could go wrong.

****

The morning of the wedding of Captain Steve Rogers and Agent Peggy Carter dawned bright and clear. As Peggy sat getting ready, she thought of the last year and a half. So much had changed; the world almost wasn't even recognizable after the war. Parts of Europe were still in shambles, mother and widows still grieved those who they had lost, but for Peggy and Steve a new chapter was beginning. In just a few hours' time she would stand at the front of the small chapel and vow her life and love to the one and only Captain America.

As she looked at herself in the mirror while wearing her simple, ivory wedding gown, Peggy tried desperately to hold back her tears. She had never really been one to cry, but seeing herself looking so happy and in love made her realize how truly lucky they were. She thought of how different her life would be if Steve had never been found, and realized what a quiet, lonely life she would have lead. She smiled at her reflection, cherishing the moment and all that it meant as there was a knock on the door. She turned as the door opened, ready to take the next step.

Steve didn't think he had ever been this nervous. As he stood at the front of the chapel waiting for Peggy, he couldn't remember a time when he had been so happy and excited. The nature of their lives though meant there was always a little bit of uncertainty and it was the possibility that something could go wrong that was making him so nervous he thought he might throw up. He knew if he just saw her then everything would settle into place. He was almost to the point of panicking when he felt Howard pat him on the back and Peggy stepped into view. She looked so beautiful in her dress he couldn't help but smile when he saw her, and he knew he was the luckiest man alive.

Getting ready to walk down the aisle to Steve, Peggy briefly grieved for her parents. She wished they could be there to see her marry the love of her life, but she knew they would be proud of the family she was about to start. Dum Dum Dugan stepped up next to her and offered his arm, and they walked down the aisle together towards Steve and her future.

****

As Steve kissed her, finally making Peggy his wife, he couldn't help but let out a relieved breath. The last several weeks of planning and stress had all been worth it to see her in her dress and to hear her saying her vows to him. He knew that he would do whatever it took to keep her happy for the rest of his life, and that with her at his side there was nothing he couldn't do.

Peggy let out a relieved breath. They had done it. They were finally, finally married. As she and Steve walked out of the chapel after exchanging their vows, she couldn't keep the smile off her face. She was so incredibly happy everything had gone off without a problem.

As she looked at Steve smiling back at her she knew she could finally stop worrying. All of this was for real, she had her hero and they were together, forever.


	8. Chapter 8

It was still dark when Peggy awoke. She rolled over and saw that Steve's side of the bed was empty. Looking at the clock she saw it was almost 3 o'clock in the morning, and the cold sheets told her he hadn't been home yet. She rolled back over with a sigh and tried not to worry. Steve had been coming home later and later. She usually tried to wait up for him so she got to see him for at least a little while, but he still hadn't been home when she had gone to bed shortly after midnight.

They had been married for three weeks. The first week had been wonderful. They had both gotten some time off work to move into the new apartment and they had spent the week setting up their new home. When they had finished the apartment, they went out and Steve showed her all his favorite spots in Brooklyn, entertaining her endlessly with stories of growing up there. After a wonderful week together, neither of them wanted to go back to the real world, but they knew they would see each other at work, so it didn't seem that bad.

Everything went downhill when they returned though. Peggy tried not to be insulted when Chief Dooley asked what she was doing back. He had assumed she would leave the SSR in favor of becoming a housewife, and it took all of Peggy's patience to correct him gently, assuring him she would remain an agent, rather than slamming her fist through his face like she wanted.

Added to that, she hardly got to see Steve at all when they were in the office. Their second day back Howard came running into the office saying his inventions from his private vault had been stolen. Steve, Thompson and Dooley had holed themselves up with Howard for several days trying to figure out exactly what had happened. Those nights, Steve had been home by a reasonable hour, even in time for dinner. It hadn't been until the last week that he started staying out late. Their team was chasing lead after lead trying to stop Howard's inventions from being sold on the black market, and unfortunately most of that work fell to Steve, and the stress and constant action of it all was starting to cause a problem between the two of them. He tried to include her in the investigation, but he was under strict orders from the chief to keep everything to himself.

As she tried to fall back asleep, Peggy reasoned that all of this was probably a lot harder on Steve than it was on her. She realized that in the time she had seen him over the last week she hadn't been very supportive of him, and that wasn't a very good way to start their marriage. Of course, neither was him leaving her alone in their bed at night, but one thing at a time. She was almost asleep when she heard the front door open. She listened as Steve locked the door behind himself and walked into their room. A few minutes later she felt the mattress dip as he got into bed. She was deciding whether or not to let him know she was awake when she felt him wrap his arms around her and pull her into his chest. Peggy wiggled a little, settling against him as they both got comfortable in each other's arms.

"You're late."

She felt him chuckle as he tightened his grip. He sighed into her hair, holding her close, as he whispered, "I love you."

"Steve." Peggy rolled in his arms, turning to face him.

"I'm sorry. I know I've been gone a lot this week." Steve kissed her nose, tightening his hold on her once again.

"I hate to say this, but I worry about you, you know."

He smiled at her through the dark, struggling to keep his eyes open. "I know. I wish I had been here with you tonight, trust me. It would've been a lot more pleasant than…" Steve trailed off as he remembered Chief Dooley's orders.

Peggy huffed out a breath and sat up, breaking his hold on her. She pushed him onto his back and leaned over him. "I don't care what the chief's orders are. I want to be supportive and trust that you can do whatever it is that you're doing without me, but I need to know what the hell is going on. I am an agent of the SSR and I am quite frankly very irritated that the chief is trying to keep me out of this. What's more, I'm your wife. And I don't know what kind of marriage you thought we would have, but I will not tolerate secrets."

Realizing she was actually angry with him Steve pushed himself up onto his elbows so he could see her better and cupped her cheek in his hand, stopping whatever she was going to say next. "Hey. Why didn't you tell me this was bothering you so much?"

"Because I haven't seen you! And I honestly didn't know it was bothering me. I just… I miss you. We've only been married for three weeks, and I feel like since we've been back at the office, everyone and everything has been working to keep us from seeing each other."

Steve brushed the hair off her forehead and smiled at her before responding. "I miss you too. And you're right. We can't have secrets. And in all honesty, not being able to talk to you has been killing me. In the morning I'm going to talk to the Chief and get him to let you start helping on Howard's case. Between you and me, we need you. We've gotten nowhere in the last week."

"If you've gotten nowhere why have you been out so late? It's past 3 in the morning Steve."

"I know. We were following a lead, but it turned out to be nothing. And I spent a cold night crawling through drainage tunnels with Thompson when I could've been in my warm bed with my best girl."

Peggy pinched his chest. "Don't change the subject."

Steve groaned as he wrapped his arms around her and rolled them onto their sides. "Babe, it's late. Can we talk about this in the morning?"

Peggy opened her mouth to insist they talk about it right this minute when Steve put his mouth overs her, silencing her the best way he know how. Deciding he wasn't that tired after all, he rolled on top of her and made sure neither of them had anything to say for a while.

****

When her alarm went off a few hours later, Peggy hit it as hard as she could manage. She flopped back onto her pillow, silently cursing Steve and his distracting kisses when he wrapped his arms around her once more. She heard him wake with a quiet groan and felt a soft kiss on her bare shoulder. She couldn't quite stop the sigh that fell from her lips as she felt him sit up to lean over her. He smiled at her and leaned down to leisurely kiss her, almost making her forget she was mad at him for several reasons.

She pulled back and tried to roll out from under him, but he grabbed her before she could get far and kissed her again.

"Steve, I have to get up. I have to get ready."

Steve groaned and kissed down her neck. "Missed you this week. Still early. Plenty of time."

She tried to concentrate on anything other than his mouth on her neck as she thought of reasons she couldn't be late. She grabbed his hair and pulled his head back making him look at her. "We have to go to work." He smiled and shook his head, shaking off her hand as his mouth found her neck again.

"Don't have to be in until later. Have all morning."

Peggy barely clung to her wits as she weakly said, "Yes, well I have to be there on time, just like everyone else."

Steve sighed as he pushed up onto his elbows and looked down at her. "What's the good in being Captain America if my wife can't be late to work every once in a while?"

"Are you suggesting we use your status as a beloved national hero to spend the morning here, in this bed?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You say that like it's a bad thing. Admit it, you can't keep your hands off me." Steve grinned at her and Peggy couldn't help but smile back as she pulled him down, and figured, what the hell.

****

The first thing Peggy noticed when she and Steve arrived at the office shortly before noon, was several of their coworkers watching them as they walked in and then start whispering amongst themselves, speculating about their late arrival, she assumed. Figuring she had nothing to be embarrassed about, no matter how childish they were all acting, she walked to her desk and looked at the files that had been placed there during her absence. She clenched her jaw when she saw more of Agent Thompson's reports she assumed she was supposed to file when the man himself walked up to her.

"Running late this morning, Carter?"

"Why, Agent Thompson? Was this filing urgent?" She started to take off her jacket when Steve stepped up behind her and helped her. He hung up her jacket on the coat hanger by her desk before taking off his own and hanging it up as well, as the other agents watched and started whispering again. Steve stood between his wife and his colleague before speaking.

"Thompson, Agent Carter is going to be joining us on the Stark investigation. I think we could use her expertise since whoever is behind this has us spinning our wheels."

Chief Dooley had stepped into the office in time to hear what Steve was saying, before Thompson responded.

Seeing Thompson clench his fist and seeing the look on Roger's and Carters' face, Dooley called the three of them into his office before anyone started throwing punches. He'd heard Carter threw a mean right hook. "Thompson, Carter, Rogers, my office."

They shuffled into his office and Steve closed the door behind them as Dooley began. "Carter, I want you in on this investigation-"

Thompson jumped in to interrupt, "But Chief-"

"Save it Thompson. I agree with the Captain, she would be a great asset and the two of you clearly need some help. It's her or Krzeminski."

Peggy waited, fully expecting to hear Thompson argue for the lesser agent and was surprised when she heard silence. She spoke, before Thompson had a chance to argue for a different agent. "Thank you Chief. Gentlemen, care to bring me up to speed?"

Steve smiled at her and opened the door, waiting for her to exit before he followed. As he stepped out of the chief's office, he heard Thompson mutter under his breath, "She does have quite the assets."

Steve turned, ready to knock him out when Peggy suddenly stepped in front of him. "Agent Thompson, if you doubt my abilities as an agent, then please, say so. But if you are worried about my relationship with Captain Rogers, I can assure you that we are more than capable of behaving like professionals."

****

Or at least she was. Thompson left her and Steve to go over the files to see if she could find anything they might have missed. As soon as they were alone together though, Peggy wondered how they'd ever managed to survive a war without being constantly distracted by the other. She sat down at the conference table, and instead of sitting across from her like she though he would, Steve sat next to her. Right next to her.

Almost as soon as she had gotten herself together after getting distracted by his scent, she felt his hand rest on her knee. She tried to look crossly at him, disapproving of his intent to further distract her, but then he whispered something in her ear and she lost her train of thought all together. She cursed under her breath when she felt his hand move up her thigh and stood up, out of reach. He grinned at her, in that way that only he could, and she moved to the other side of the table and sat down, finally looking at the file in front of her. He smiled at her again, before picking up one of the other files on the table and going through it.

****

Two hours later, Peggy felt her eyes starting to cross. Just as she was getting ready to close yet another file, she saw the word Leviathan. Thinking back, she pulled another file from the stack in front of her and skimmed it until she saw the word again.

"Steve, what's Leviathan?"

Steve looked up from his file and thought for a moment. "Um, it's some kind of Russian communist terrorist group. It's only a rumor though."

Peggy looked back at the file in her hand. "I don't think it is though. You intercepted this message to a man named Leet Brannis last week. It's encoded, obviously, but once you break that code, you can tell it's a directive about buying one of Howard's inventions. There's a meeting set to take place next week."

"You broke the code?"

"Yes. The original missive was sent in Russian, which your code breaker couldn't figure out. I was able to translate it though." She handed the paper to Steve and he read the message with a look of disbelief on his face, which quickly turned to awe.

"You're amazing. I knew we needed your help." He grinned at her with pride as Thompson came into the conference room.

"Got anything yet?"

Peggy tried not to look too smug as Steve handed him the paper and said, "Actually, we do. How do you feel about Russia?"


	9. Chapter 9

Peggy loved the Howling Commandos. Really, they were like family. If you asked her on any given day, she would gladly lay down her life for and with them. Except maybe on this day. The Commandos, plus Peggy and Agents Thompson and Ramirez had landed in Poland two days ago. What followed was several, considerably trying days as the group headed toward Russia, going through Latvia of course, on their way to the location specified in the missive Peggy had been able to decode. She wasn't sure what was different about this trip, or why she was finding them all so irritating, but she was beginning to regret her Russian lessons when their convoy finally stopped a few hundred yards from a large compound.

Agent Thompson, trying to take charge like always, suggested they split into four groups, but he was quickly overridden by Steve who said to go in alternatively safer two groups. No one needed to remind Thompson that Steve was the superior officer, and he quickly agreed with the new plan, albeit somewhat grumblingly. Trying to appear professional, Peggy joined the other group, before Steve shook his head at her, and made it clear she was not to go anywhere without him. She was secretly glad he had disagreed with her; she was beginning to think her agitation lied solely with the overbearing, and surprisingly whiny, Agent Thompson, and she was glad to be free of him for a while.

The groups finally agreed upon, they set off to enter the compound, not knowing exactly what they would find.

Steve couldn't explain it, but ever since he woke up that morning he had had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He attributed it to the fact that this was his first field mission with Peggy as his wife, and he was really worried about her. Now that he knew what they had, he didn't want lose her. He hoped he'd never find out what that felt like. When she quickly and quietly agreed to stay in his group, Steve knew she felt the same. Truth be told, there wasn't anyone else he'd rather go into battle, or on missions, with.

As they entered the compound, Steve's nerves stretched taught. He made sure to keep Peggy close to him as they moved through the seemingly empty building. The building was large, and as they moved through it, Steve felt like something was missing.

They were going down a hallway when Peggy noticed a door ajar. She signaled to the team and they went into the room. No one had anything to say when they realized it was a classroom. They were all lost in thought, trying to come up with an explanation when Dugan accidentally started the projector. It was an old American Cartoon, and as it played, Peggy realized something was off. Every few slides there was a word that would run across the screen, like obey and serve.

"Is this some kind of school?" Dugan asked, looking at the shelves of books in the corner.

Peggy looked around once more before shaking her head at Steve. "Maybe we should move on."

Steve nodded and they left the room. They continued down the hall and quickly found themselves in front of another door. Steve opened it and they saw what looked like a dormitory. There were approximately 20 beds lined up in the room, all pristinely made.

Peggy was the first to hear the quiet sobs. She saw a little girl crying into her arms, leaning against one of the beds. The men looked at her, unsure of what to do, before Dugan went and kneeled down next to the girl and tried to comfort her. He was just trying to explain why a bowler hat was so named when the little girl looked up at him, and stabbed him in the chest with a knife. She ran out of the room before the rest of them got over their shock. Peggy and Steve were the first to get over their confusion, and after Dugan signaled he was ok, they quickly ran after the girl.

They had been chasing the girl down so many hallways, Peggy lost track of where they were. They went through a door and turned a corner to find the hallway beyond it suddenly empty. The girl had somehow gotten away from them, and as Peggy looked around trying to catch her breath, she heard the door they had just come through slam. She went back and tried to open it, realizing someone must have locked it behind them. She looked at Steve as he too realized they had been lured there. He had a grim look on his face as they started looking around the hallway.

It only took Peggy a minute to realize they were underground. There were no windows in the hallway, and there was no light coming out of the doors that were standing open. It was very dark, and she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

As soon as the door behind them had closed, Steve went on full alert. They faced each other, communicating with a look to go see what was down the hall. "Peggy, stay behind me."

Normally, Peggy would scoff at such a priggish order, but with the look on Steve's face and her own intuitions prickling, she did what he asked and went to him. They walked down the hall, both keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings when Peggy felt a breeze coming from her left. She stopped and called out to Steve and they both looked at the wall, where there was a small crack and nothing else. Exchanging a look, they both started looking for some kind of switch, figuring there was a secret door, similar to the one at Camp Lehigh.

Peggy was feeling the wall to the left of the crack when she heard a shout from Steve's direction. She turned in time to see Steve being thrown back by a long haired, masked man. Steve quickly jumped back onto his feet and turned so he was standing between Peggy and the man, as the man stepped forward to continue his assault.

Steve blocked the man's punch with his shield, shocked when the shield almost vibrated out of his hand. He barely had time to react before the next punch came and he realized the man he was facing had some kind of a bionic arm. Now knowing what to expect, Steve braced himself for the next blow, and then jumped out shield first when the man pulled his arm back. He knocked the man in the chin, making him stumble back. Before the man could gain his balance, Steve struck again, this time with his fist, followed up with his shield.

Peggy had been watching the scuffle, gun in hand and ready to react, when she saw the mystery man go down after Steve hit him in the head with his shield. As Steve bent down to pull the man's mask off, she turned toward the shouting coming from down the hall as the Commandos finally broke down the door. They all came running toward them, asking a million questions about what was going on.

She was trying to answer their questions and reassemble order when she heard Steve say, "Bucky?"


	10. Chapter 10

Steve couldn't believe what was happening. As he stood in the observation room at Camp Lehigh watching as Colonel Philips tried to interrogate Bucky, all he could think about was his friend, his brother. The man he had thought he'd lost had come back and tried to kill him just a week ago. When the Commandos had come back with Bucky, they were redirected back to Project Rebirth's home, as the army stepped in to take control of the situation.

So far, Bucky hadn't said anything. He had just sat there, staring straight ahead, both hands strapped to the metal bench. Steve had never seen him so still for that long, and he felt himself grow tense as the minutes ticked by. He was lost in thought when the door to his right opened and Peggy walked in.

"Anything yet?" She asked as she stepped up next to him and looked at Bucky.

"Nothing. What the hell happened to him Peg?" Steve asked, in the most heartbreaking tone she had ever heard. She rubbed circles on his back, feeling his tension as they watched Colonel Philips leave the room. They turned to the door and watched as Philips walked in.

"Rogers. Carter. I can't get anything out of this guy. All I can tell is that he's in bad shape. I don't know what to do next." Philips spoke as he watched Bucky through the glass. They all watched as Bucky continued to sit, motionless.

"Can I go in, sir?" Philips wasn't surprised when Steve asked to go see his friend.

"No, Steve, you can't. Colonel, let me." Peggy interrupted.

Philips put a hand up to stop Steve protest. "She's right. You're too close, Rogers. Let her go."

Peggy smiled at Steve and walked out the room. The men turned to the glass and watched Peggy walk in.

"That's a hell of a woman you got there."

Steve smiled his first real smile in a week. "I know, sir."

Philips turned to him, a finger raised. "You hurt her, and your super serum won't make a difference, I will kick your ass. I'm only going to warn you once. You take care of her. She deserves the very best."

Steve nodded, his smile growing bigger as the Colonel spoke. "What if she hurts me?"

"Well, then you deserved it. Now watch."

They both turned back to watch as Peggy began her interrogation.

"Do you know where you are?" Silence. "Sergeant Barnes, do you know where you are?"

Bucky moved for the first time since he had been put in the room. He flinched, almost imperceptibly when she said his name. The men noticed at the same time she did, and they all shifted, eager to continue.

Peggy grabbed one of the chairs from the table and moved it closer to him sitting before she continued speaking. "Your name is Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. You served with the 107th division in the war. You grew up in Brooklyn, and you have a family. Your friends call you Bucky."

When she said his name, his nickname, his eyes flicked to hers, just for a moment. She saw in that moment, the briefest flicker of the man she had known so briefly. Peggy was thinking of what to say next when she saw his eyes glaze over and she was suddenly lying on her back. It took her a moment to realize he kicked her chair back, flinging her back. She was starting to push herself up when he was suddenly standing over her, his bionic arm having broken the restraints. The metallic limb grabbed her by the throat and pulled her up off the ground. He held her up, the metal of his hand cold against her throat as it cut off her windpipe. She was trying to kick at him or gain some kind of leverage, holding herself up on his arm, when the door to the room flew open and she saw Steve rush in.

Colonel Philips had never seen anyone move as fast as Captain Rogers had when Barnes had broken his restraints. Rogers was out of the room almost before Philips had time to react. When he saw Barnes grab Peggy, he rushed out. He got to the open interrogation door in time to see Steve grab Bucky in a chokehold.

"Bucky, no! Let her go. Bucky come on, man. This isn't you." Steve shouted as he held on as Bucky tried to throw him off. He looked at Peggy who was still dangling at the end of Bucky's arm. "Bucky, man. Don't make me do this." When Bucky still didn't let her go, Steve increased the pressure on Bucky's neck, and a few seconds later felt the soldiers knees buckle as he passed out.

Peggy fell to the floor, gasping and coughing as she felt her lungs fill. She moved away from Bucky and leaned against the wall, trying to control her breathing and hold back tears. She closed her eyes and felt Steve's arms come around her. He held her close and rocked her, trying to comfort them both. "Are you ok?"

She wiped a tear out of her eye before looking up at him and nodding. She laid her head on his shoulder and accepting his comfort and wrapping her arms around his torso.

Steve watched as several guards picked up the still unconscious Bucky and took him out of the room.

Colonel Philips saw Steve struggle between his concern for his wife and his concern for his friend. He motioned that he would follow Barnes, and Steve nodded his thanks as he tightened his arm around Peggy.

Steve looked down at Peggy, realizing she was trembling. He kissed the top of her head, and started stroking her back.

"You're ok. You're alright, baby. I got you." He felt her take a deep breath to calm herself before she took her head off his shoulder, and pulled back to look him.

He heard her quietly ask, "How's Bucky?"

"We'll check on him later. Are you ok?"

Peggy smiled, grateful for his concern. "Just a little rattled. I'll be fine."

Steve nodded at her before gathering her back in his arms. She shuddered out a breath and tightened her arms again as they sat, holding onto each other.

****

Steve was sitting in the war room the next day, looking over maps when Peggy walked up to him.

He looked her over, noticing a slight bruise forming on her throat. "You're supposed to be resting."

"I have. Now I want to know what we're going to do about Sergeant Barnes."

Steve sighed, remembering how scared she had actually been the day before. As soon as they stepped through their front door, she had pressed herself to him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling his lips down to her. Sensing her urgency, he quickly picked her up and carried her into their room. What followed was the most beautiful expression of life and love that either of them had ever experienced. He didn't know how it was possible, but their lovemaking kept getting better and better. Every touch, every kiss, every whisper was amazing, a true declaration of their passion for each other, and every time was different, more, than the time before.

As he looked at her, shadows under the eyes that held the steely resolve he so greatly admired, he knew that she was meant to be here, making the world a better place just as much as he was. He wanted to keep her safe, protected, and happy, and he knew she was all those things when she was here, with him.

Still, he couldn't let her put herself in harm's way. "You're not going to do anything. I'm not letting you in there with him again."

"I'm fine. And I'm not asking to go back in. I'm asking to help. I saw him in there, Steve. He knows who he is, he's just hidden, his memories are repressed or something. Maybe the Russians brainwashed him, I don't know, but he is there. We need to try and get him back."

Steve looked at Peggy, considering her words. He was trying to come up with a plan when Colonel Philips walked over to them.

"Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes is asking for you."

****

Steve looked at Colonel Philips in shock and disbelief.

"What do you mean, he's asking for me?"

"Sergeant Barnes asked for you by name. He has been repeating it, just your name, for the last ten minutes."

Steve glanced at Peggy who looked just as confused as he felt. He shook his head in disbelief and went to an observation room to watch Bucky. In the room, Bucky was saying his name, followed by something so quiet no one could understand it.

Peggy watched with concern as Steve looked at Bucky through the glass. She listened to what he was saying, remaining silent with the rest of them. After the twelfth time or so, she realized what he was repeating.

"Steve Rogers. The mission." Steve turned to her with a questioning look as Peggy spoke. "That's what he's saying. Steve Rogers, the mission."

"The mission? What mission?" Steve asked as he looked at Peggy. He turned back to the glass, and without a word strode out of the room and into the interrogation room with Bucky.

Seeing Steve, Bucky bunched all of muscles trying to get to him. But his restraints has been reinforced and he couldn't break out of them. Realizing he was stuck, he sat, motionless once again, his watchful eyes never leaving Steve.

"Am I your mission? Were you sent here, for me?"

Bucky remained silent.

Beyond frustrated, Steve lashed out. "Bucky! Snap out of it! You're my best friend! James Buchanan Barnes! You took me to Coney Island for the first time and I threw up on the Cyclone! You're my brother!"

Steve watched as Bucky's eyes grew dark. He braced himself, waiting to see if Bucky would attack again when he heard, "Coney Island?"


	11. Chapter 11

Steve was sitting in the kitchen, sipping a glass of scotch. The sun had set long ago, but he continued to sit, lost in thought as the bottle slowly emptied. He tipped the last bit of liquid into his glass, and raised it to his lips as the front door opened.

Peggy was turning lights on as she went, carrying her grocery bags into the kitchen. She jumped when she turned the light on and saw Steve sitting at the table in front of an empty bottle. She set her bags down on the counter and walked over to Steve.

"What are you doing?" She asked quietly, running her fingers through his hair.

"What time is it?" He asked, his voice hoarse from the scotch.

She checked her watch. "It's almost 11."

He swallowed the last of his scotch. "You're late."

Peggy chuckled and went and started putting the groceries away. "I got held up at the office. Someone left early this afternoon and left the rest of us with paperwork."

"I know, I'm sorry." Steve got up and threw the bottle in the trash before setting his glass in the sink. He went to the living room and sank down onto the couch.

"Darling, what's wrong?" Peggy asked, following him onto the couch. "You're not still worried about Bucky are you?"

"Of course I'm still worried about him. He was brainwashed by Leviathan to kill people. He wanted to kill me, to kill you."

"Yes, but Steve, he's back." Steve scoffed and tried to shake off her hand. "No listen. He's back. I know it's only been a few weeks, and I know you're under a lot of pressure, but you need to relax. Bucky has made tremendous progress in the last few days alone. You know the scientists have high hopes, and I think he'll be fine. "

"No, he won't. Things will never be the same." Steve said, shaking his head.

"Of course they won't be." Peggy cupped his cheek and made him look at her. "Things were already different, they'd changed long before he came back. And they will keep changing, that's just the ways things go."

Steve nodded, knowing she was right. "I just wish… I wish that it hadn't ended like this."

"Darling, nothings ended. In fact, you should think of it as a new beginning. He's not the same person he was before he fell from that train, but neither are you. You're just going to have start over, and you are just going to have to trust that somewhere inside, Bucky is still the man you know. He's still the brother you love. You just have to find him, and you just have to accept that that is going to take time."

"Rome wasn't built in a day, huh?" Steve asked with a half laugh. Peggy shook her head at him, pleased when she saw a small smile come over his face. "When'd you get so smart?"

She smiled as she leaned in to kiss him before standing up to go finish putting groceries away. He followed into the kitchen behind her, wrapping his arms around her as stood at the counter, pinning her against it. He kissed her shoulder as he held her in place. "Steve, I have to put these away."

He smiled, and kissed his way up her neck. She laughed and turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he leaned down to kiss her. They kissed for a few moments before Steve pulled back. "Let's go somewhere."

"What?"

"Yeah, let's get out of the city for a few days. Just you and me. We've been so busy, we need some time together, without all the distractions." Peggy smiled and nodded before pulling him back down.

****

Peggy woke up to the sound of the ocean. She stretched in bed, pleased to see the sun up and the day bright. They had headed up the coast a few days earlier, finding a small town about an hour out of the city. They were able to find a small cottage to stay at for a few days and they had quickly settled in, enjoying lazy days and long nights.

She was trying to decide if she should try to fall back to sleep or go find Steve, when she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She barely had time think 'not again' before she rushed to the bathroom to empty her stomach.

Steve was just walking into the room with breakfast when she rushed to the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her and he heard her throw up as he set the tray down. He knocked on the door and pushed it open as she stood up to rinse her mouth.

"How many days in a row is that?"

"Um, well we've been here for three days, and it happened twice in the city. No wait, three days in the city. Is that right?"

"You need to go to the doctor."

"I know. I just always feel better after I, well, you know. And then I'll be nauseous until about lunch time and then I feel better."

"Well something is obviously wrong. I'll call and see if a doctor around here can see you."

"Steve, no I don't want to ruin our vacation. We're having such a lovely time and we've only got two more days." She stepped close to him and grabbed his waist. He smiled at her and kissed her, before stepping back. "Ok, get back in bed and eat this breakfast." She happily complied, smiling as she looked at what he had made. She was still slightly nauseous, but she thought a little something might settle her stomach. He sat down next to her as she started eating and watched her for a minute before he stood up and walked out to the living room, "I'm going to go call the doctor."

"Steve! Don't you dare!" Peggy heard him ask the operator for a doctor's office before he shouted back, "Too late!"

****

They sat in the exam room at the doctor's office, waiting for the doctor to come in and see them. Steve was sitting in the corner, trying to get her to talk to him while they waited. "I'm sorry, ok. I'm just worried about you. And I want to make sure nothing is wrong."

"I told you, I'm fine."

Steve started to respond when the doctor walked in. The older, kind looking doctor greeted them and then sat down next to Peggy and asked what was wrong. Knowing that she would down play whatever was going on, Steve spoke before she could. "She's been throwing up in the mornings. Right when she wakes up. And then she's fine. And she's been really tired lately. We've been under a lot of stress at work, so we came out here to relax for a few days but she's still tired. She napped for almost three hours yesterday. And she's been kind of irritable."

"Have I? Have I really?"

Steve shrank back in his seat. "Kind of, I said kind of."

The doctor smiled at Steve and looked at Peggy. "Is that true?"

Peggy slightly nodded as she rolled her eyes, glaring at Steve before looking at the doctor. He smiled gently before asking. "When was your last cycle?"

Confused, Steve looked at Peggy. He saw that she had frozen, and was thinking very hard.

"What a…. what's a cycle?"

"Steve get out."

"What? What did I say?"

The doctor interrupted her before she could tell him to leave again. "He is your husband, right?" The doctor continued when she nodded. "Well, since he is clearly concerned about you, I think he should stay, since I see you have an idea what might be going on."

Peggy looked at her hands before quietly saying, "I am… late. But only by a few weeks, maybe, nothing terribly unusual. I guess we've been so busy with cases and traipsing around Europe that I didn't really notice. I'm sure it's not…" She trailed off when she saw the doctor's kind, patient eyes.

"How long have you been married?" The doctor asked Steve, noticing Peggy was starting to look a little nauseous.

Still looking at Peggy Steve said, "About two months, I guess."

"Yes well, Mrs. Rogers, I think you know what the answer is."

"Can one of you please tell me what's going on?" Steve demanded from the corner.

The doctor stood up and smiled at Peggy, "I think you have some things to talk about. Make sure you drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, and the nausea should pass eventually. Good luck to both of you."

Steve watched the doctor walk out and looked at Peggy, still incredibly confused. "Peggy-"

"Let's go take a walk. I could use some fresh air."

****

Baffled, Steve numbly nodded and they left the doctor's office.

They were walking on the beach a few minutes later, holding hands while they strolled. "Ok, this is killing me. Please tell me what's going on."

Peggy stopped and looked at the water for a moment before turning to him. She grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him slowly.

He pulled back with a smile. "Peggy. No more distractions. Tell me."

Peggy took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. "I'm pregnant." She watched as her words sank in, seeing shock, joy, and finally pure happiness cross his face.

"We're going… we're going to have a baby?"

Peggy nodded, smiling ear to ear. Steve laughed and picked her up spinning her around. They laughed together, and he held her to him, kissing her as they celebrated the knowledge that they had created a life.

Early the next morning Steve was jostled awake as Peggy rushed out of bed. He got up and grabbed her a glass of water and was waiting when she walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later. They got back in bed, facing each other as they laid there. Steve rubbed circles on her back, holding her close as the sun rose over the water. "I can't stop smiling."

"I see that."

"I'm just so excited. A baby. I bet it's going to be a little girl, and she's going to be just like you."

Peggy smiled at the thought. "I don't know. A little boy with your blonde hair and sweet smile would be nice too."

Steve laughed and pressed his lips to hers, pouring all his love and excitement for their future into the kiss. "What do you want to do today?"

"Hmmmm, I just want to stay right here, with you." She pressed her lips to his again, pulling him closer.

"Sounds perfect."


	12. Chapter 12

Peggy wouldn't say that they were fighting. She would say that they had a fundamental disagreement and Steve was wrong, but they weren't fighting. They both had been on cloud nine since they discovered she was pregnant, and their return to the city had been a little bittersweet. The news that they were starting a family had brought them closer together, and their time at the beach had cemented a new level of partnership and intimacy in their marriage. Peggy didn't think she had ever smiled as much as she had since their vacation, nor did she ever imagine being this happy.

That all changed on Monday morning. She was up and getting ready for work when Steve had walked in. He saw her getting dressed and had asked what she was doing for the day.

Peggy fumed and slammed the files in her hand on her desk, remembering the look on his face when she told him she was going to work. She honestly had not been expecting him to think anything would change. Of course she would stay at work, she was pregnant not a bloody invalid. Oh, and then the damn man had the nerve to suggest that she would put herself in harm's way, somehow endangering their child. The safety of the life currently growing within her was more important than anything, and that he didn't think she took it seriously was insulting.

She was sitting at her desk looking over files when he walked into the office. Their earlier disagreement had been interrupted when they got to the office by Agent Thompson and he and Steve had then left to go do something, Peggy wasn't entirely sure since she had been trying to ignore him at the time. She heard his voice when he walked back into the office, and cursed her hormones when goose bumps broke out on her skin. She was trying to focus on her files but found her eyes seeking him out.

Steve saw Peggy looking at files at her desk. She was studiously trying to ignore him, but he saw her look up from her files searching for him. His eyes met hers and he smiled, apologetically, hoping she knew that he didn't want to fight. The icy stare her received told him the discussion wasn't over yet and he probably had a lot of apologizing to do. He was just thinking he should go get her some flowers when he saw her bolt out of her chair and rush to the hallway with her hand over her mouth. Steve hurried after her, worried, when he saw her go into the bathroom. He relaxed a little when he realized she must be nauseous. Still he felt bad that their child was making her so sick, so he looked down the hall several times before gently pushing the door open.

Peggy was just finishing emptying her stomach when she heard the door to the bathroom open. She briefly entertained the idea of getting up off the floor and pretending like nothing was wrong to save some face when she heard, "Peggy?"

She opened the stall door, still sitting on the floor, and saw Steve, looking very uncomfortable standing in the middle of the ladies room. "What are you doing in here?"

Steve kneeled down in front of her and brushed her hair off her forehead. "I wanted to make sure you were ok."

Peggy surprised both of them by bursting into tears after hearing his words. Steve looked panicked for a second before he took her in his arms. He picked her up and moved around to sit down, cradling her in his arms as she sobbed. He rocked her as he held her tight and rubbed her back. After a few minutes her sobs quieted and she sat, clinging to him. She smiled when she felt him press his lips to her hair before he said, "I'm sorry."

She pulled back and looked at him. "No, I'm sorry. You're being so sweet to me after I was so horrible to you this morning. You shouldn't be apologizing."

"I didn't mean to make you cry."

Peggy laughed. "I know you didn't. And I think its hormones, I just suddenly felt so overwhelmed by everything."

Steve pulled her back down to rest against his chest. "I'm sorry about this morning."

Instead of responding, Peggy played with the buttons on his jacket as he continued to rub her back. When she didn't say anything after a few moments he spoke again. "I just worry about you. You know that all I want is for you to be happy, and safe. But I will admit that I overreacted, a little."

He heard her sniffle and quietly say. "I will quit, if you want me to." She looked up at him and put her hands on his face. "If you asked me, I would walk out of this office today. I will do everything in my power to protect this child, and if you think leaving is the right choice... I just want you to know that I would never put myself or our family in danger."

Steve smiled and kissed her cheek. "I don't want you to quit. You're an amazing agent and you deserve to be here. I just panic at the thought of something happening to you."

"Can you learn to live with it?"

"Well, I'm never going to stop worrying, but I think we can work it out."

Peggy smiled and put her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly. She pulled back after a few moments and tried to gracefully stand, silently cursing the skirt she was wearing. Steve stood quickly next to her and held his hand out to help steady her. Once she had smoothed her clothes she smiled at her husband and moved around him to wash her hands and rinse her mouth. He was just handing her a towel when the door opened and one of the telephone girls walked in. She wasn't sure who stammered more, Steve or the poor girl, but she quickly finished drying her hands and shoved him through the door with a quick apology to the girl.

Steve was trying his hardest not to blush as Peggy rushed him out of the bathroom. He looked at her as the door closed behind them and saw she was trying to contain her laughter.

"It's not funny!" Peggy lost her battle and her laughter rang out at Steve's indignant look. Steve smiled briefly before grabbing her waist and tugging her to him, kissing her to stop her laughter. They kissed for a moment, glad to be over their fight, when they heard Thompson clear his throat behind them. Steve jumped back, out of reach, and smiled guiltily at her as they looked at Thompson.

"Am I interrupting?"

Peggy rolled her eyes as Steve looked at her with a small smile before he responded. "Actually you are." Peggy felt her jaw drop at his answer, surprised at his cavalier attitude. "But that's ok. We were actually just leaving for the day."

"You're both leaving? To do what?"

Peggy held her breath, not really knowing what to expect. "We're going to go spend the afternoon with Sergeant Barnes. If that's ok with you Agent Thompson?"

Thompson nodded as Steve told Peggy to go get her stuff. The two men were talking in hushed tones when she came back with her purse and jacket. Thompson said something low, but Peggy got the idea that he was angry as he walked away. Steve helped her into her jacket and they got in the elevator.

****

Bucky had been moved to a private hospital before they left for the beach. Once he started coming out of whatever hallucination Leviathan had put him under he had been moved so that the doctors could keep a better eye on him. Steve and Peggy tried to go see him often, but they hadn't been since they had come back.

They were in the hallway walking towards Bucky's room when Steve pulled Peggy back. "Hey, wait. Before we go in, um, I don't think we should tell him, yet, about…" Steve looked down at her stomach. Peggy cupped his cheek and made him look at her face.

"Why?"

Steve exhaled sharply. "I just think we should wait. He's under a lot of pressure and this is… big. This is news, and…" Steve trailed off and looked at his feet. Peggy stepped close to him and nudged his head up with the hand still on his cheek. She smiled and kissed him when he looked at her, comforting him.

"I'm just afraid that he won't… be happy for us. I want him to be in this baby's life, but if we tell him too soon and he's not ready or not back to normal…"

Peggy smiled again and nodded. "It can be our secret. For now."

Steve nodded gratefully and they walked into Bucky's room hand in hand.

****

Peggy watched as Steve and Bucky played cards in his room. She was by the window, enjoying the sunshine and sipping some water while they played at the table next to the bed. They had offered to teach her the game they were playing, something they had made up in childhood that seemed to have long, confusing rules, but she had been content to sit back and watch. She and Steve had been there for a few hours when Steve got up to go to the bathroom. He walked over and kissed her on the forehead before leaving the room.

"Hey, why don't you come over here? I'll teach you our game."

Peggy gave him a small smile and got up before going over to sit down in Steve's seat at the table. Bucky smiled at her, the same cocky grin she remembered. The last time she had seen it was in the bar in Europe when she had told Steve she wanted to go dancing after the war, provided she had found the right partner. She smiled to herself with the memory and looked at Bucky, who was watching her.

"He really likes you, you know." Bucky said as she struggled to shuffle the cards. Peggy smiled at him and glanced at the door, looking for Steve. "Believe me, its mutual."

Bucky concentrated on the cards in his hands, the damn metal one wasn't cooperating very much with the cards. He smiled to himself as he glanced at Peggy and saw a wistful look on her face as she disappeared into her thoughts again.

"If you tell him this, I'll deny it, but he's better with you." Peggy looked surprised at Bucky's words. "Yeah, I mean, he's always been a really noble guy. He's the best guy I know actually. But you give him a purpose, you fill the gap he was missing when he was so busy worrying about everyone else. When he met you, he found his place in the world, the one he'd been searching for. And you make him ridiculously happy, like it's almost sickening to watch." They laughed. "Even though I still think I'm a better dancer, he couldn't have picked a better partner."

Peggy laughed and wiped a tear away. "Thank you, Bucky." They sat in silence for a moment, each lost in their thoughts before Peggy spoke.

"You mean a great deal to him as well, you know that?" Bucky nodded slowly as they observed each other.

They were still looking at each other when Steve walked in with Bucky's doctor. Steve grabbed his and Peggy's coats while the doctor set a tray down next to the bed. Peggy looked at the tray as she stood, seeing several needles and a large metal object on the tray. Bucky noticed her gaze and looked over at the tray as well, and before any of them knew what was happening the room was in chaos. Bucky lashed out, knocking the doctor back against the wall before he turned to Steve, who had pushed Peggy behind him. "Bucky, what are you doing? Bucky, it's us. Come on man."

Peggy looked into Bucky's eyes from behind Steve's shoulder and saw nothing, they were blank of all emotion.


	13. Chapter 13

Previously…

They were still looking at each other when Steve walked in with Bucky's doctor. Steve grabbed his and Peggy's coats while the doctor set a tray down next to the bed. Peggy looked at the tray as she stood, seeing several needles and a large metal object on the tray. Bucky noticed her gaze and looked over at the tray as well, and before any of them knew what was happening the room was in chaos. Bucky lashed out, knocking the doctor back against the wall before he turned to Steve, who had pushed Peggy behind him. "Bucky, what are you doing? Bucky, it's us. Come on man."

Peggy looked into Bucky's eyes from behind Steve's shoulder and saw nothing, they were blank of all emotion.

****

Steve shouted, trying to get Bucky's attention, who was moving toward them, the blankness still in his eyes. "Bucky!" When he kept coming, Steve backed up, making sure he was still in front of Peggy. He was trying to think of something, anything to stop Bucky, when he felt Peggy shift out a little from behind him. He was just pushing her back when he heard her mutter something. He couldn't understand what she was saying, but when he looked back at Bucky he saw he had stopped and his shoulders were starting to relax. He heard Peggy say something else, and saw Bucky relax completely.

Peggy watched as Bucky relaxed and saw life come back into his eyes. She saw him look around in confusion and turn to the doctor who was still on the floor.

"What's going on?" Bucky asked, looking back at Steve.

"Uh, we don't… we don't know. You saw the thing on the doctor's tray and just… changed. You threw him at the wall and were coming for us when… Peggy said… something." Steve looked at Peggy, who was still standing half behind him. She looked up at him and gave him a small smile.

"I thought I might try Russian, Leviathan and all. I tried telling you to stand down at first, and when you stopped I told you to relax and that you were safe."

Looking upset, Bucky sat down heavily in one of the chairs at the table. A nurse was helping the doctor up, who covered the tray and took it out of the room with him. He looked up as Steve sat down next to him. "I don't know what happened to me. I can't believe… why did this happen to me?"

Steve looked helplessly at Peggy who shrugged and remained by the window. "Hey, you're going to be fine. We're going to get this figured out and then we'll get you out of here and life will be great."

"How can I leave here not knowing what triggers my… whatever the hell it is that happens to me? All I know is that something happens, and I have no control when the… soldier in me takes over. I come out of it, and all that's in my path is death and destruction." Bucky stood abruptly and paced toward the window. Steve stood up and rushed to get between him and Peggy. "See, you don't even trust me with your wife."

"No, that's not it-" Steve started before Peggy interrupted.

"Of course he does. We both trust you, with our lives. But only when you're you, and until we figure out what causes the, soldier as you say, to come out, we just have to be… cautious. But Bucky, we will figure this out. We won't stop until we do."

Bucky scoffed. "Why? What do you care?"

Peggy stood and walked to Steve, putting her hand on his shoulder before she answered. "Because you're family."

****

It had been two months since Bucky had lost it at the hospital. Steve and Peggy went to see him for a little bit every day, and he'd only had one other episode. Sitting in bed watching Peggy get dressed one morning, Steve thought back to several weeks before when Peggy had suggested she say things in Russian to Bucky, to see if there were any triggers to get him into his soldier mode.

They had restrained Bucky, and Peggy had sat near him, listing words in Russian and seeing if they had any effect. Steve was there just in case, and all three of them were getting bored when Peggy said the Russian word for "obey," and Bucky eye's immediately went blank as his whole body tensed against his restraints.

Luckily, Peggy had been able to make him stand down before he broke the restraints, and they all breathed a little easier when Bucky had come back to himself. They ran through the rest of the words Peggy could think of, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when no other words hypnotized him.

Bucky then stayed at the hospital for a few more weeks, his arm still being tested and his health monitored. The doctors advised that he stay out of stressful situations, since no one really knew how he would react, but there was nothing more they could do for him. They released him and he had moved into Steve's old apartment, and was currently using his days to reacquaint himself with Brooklyn.

Steve watched with a smile as Peggy muttered under her breath while trying on a skirt that was becoming a little too tight around the middle. "Problem?"

Peggy huffed out a breath and peeled the skirt down her legs. Steve had to remind himself to listen to her, instead of just look at her legs. "Yes, nothing's fitting right. All of my clothes seem to have shrank."

Steve grinned and moved to kneel at the end of the bed, and caught Peggy around the middle as she tried to walk past him. He turned her so they were both looking at themselves in the mirror, pulling her back into his chest, and put his hands on her stomach over the little bump that was forming. "Or maybe, you've just got a little something here that's making your clothes fit tighter." They both smiled, looking at their family in the mirror.

Peggy stepped out of his arms and he sat on the bed as she turned to him. She ran her fingers through his hair as he kissed her bump and said good morning to their baby.

"I don't think it can hear you, you know." She said, smiling down at him.

"Mmmm, I'm pretty sure she can." Steve said, grinning up at her. She shook her head at him and leaned down to kiss him. Their lips met leisurely, the kiss of lovers who knew they had time, endless amounts of time to be together before she pulled back.

Peggy smiled and walked out of Steve's arms over to her dresser to see if she had any other skirts that might work. Steve stretched and stood up as she walked past back into the closet. He headed out to the kitchen when he heard, "I still think it's a boy!"

****

To say she was uncomfortable would be an understatement. Peggy was now almost six months into her pregnancy. She could never decide whether she was hot or cold, and her chair was maybe the most uncomfortable piece of furniture she'd ever sat on. A few weeks earlier, she and Steve had told Chief Dooley their news, although he wasn't that surprised. He tried to feign enthusiasm for them, and asked Peggy when she would be leaving. Steve interrupted before she could speak, knowing her mood could swing south real fast, and said they were taking it day by day and they were thinking she would work as long as she felt able.

Dooley had nodded, and told her to take it easy, and Peggy decided there was almost nothing worse than being pregnant around men who already thought she was helpless. She knew she wouldn't be going back into the field anytime soon, and tried to make her peace with Agent Thompson's lack of understanding of the alphabet.

Deciding she had had enough for the day, it was midafternoon after all, she stood up and grabbed her purse. She looked around for Steve and didn't see him, so she decided to grab a cab and head home. She told Daniel where she was going, figuring he would give her the least amount of grief over it and left the office.

On the way home, she stopped at the store and was struggling to carry her bags up to the apartment. She was so distracted by the objects in her arms that she didn't notice the door was already unlocked when she opened it, nor she did she notice that the string she always kept over the lock was missing. She was huffing from exertion as she dropped her bags on the counter, and barely noticed movement to her right before she felt a sharp pain in her head and everything went dark.

****

Steve breathed a sigh of relief when he left the conference room a few hours later. He had been stuck with Thompson and Dooley almost all day going over reports on one of Howard's inventions they were trying to retrieve. He saw Peggy's desk was empty and looked around for her. Sousa walked up to him while he was looking. "She left, said she was going home probably three hours ago."

Steve nodded. "Ok, thanks Sousa. I'm going to head out myself. Have a good night."

Sousa said good night as Steve walked out the elevators, ready to be home with his wife.

He was surprised to find the apartment dark when he got there a few minutes later. He turned on the light and froze when he saw the living room torn apart. The couch cushions had been sliced open, the pictures had been busted, and the lamp had been knocked over. He looked at the damage for a minute, and then he felt his throat close with panic.

Steve frantically searched over the living room, not seeing Peggy. He went into their bedroom and saw the same destruction there, the mattress had been ripped up and their drawers emptied. Panic fully setting in, he ran towards the kitchen. His heart caught in his throat when he saw grocery bags on the counter, and he rushed in the kitchen when he saw Peggy laying on the floor. There was a large gash on her forehead and he started shouting as he saw the pool of blood under her. His neighbor rushed in as he cradled Peggy in his arms, crying. He yelled at the man to get help while he held her and willed her to wake up.

****

Steve looked at Peggy as she laid, pale and still in the hospital bed. She had a bandage on her head where she'd been hit, and although the doctor assured Steve she would be fine, she still hadn't woken up. He knew she had lost a lot of blood, but the doctors said she and the baby were fine. Head injuries could be complicated though and the doctors told him all they could do was wait. He had found her a little over twelve hours ago, and the guilt that she was lying there, hurt and broken, was eating him alive.

Thompson and Dooley had been in and out a few times since they had gotten to the hospital. The SSR was going over Steve and Peggy's apartment, trying to figure out who had broken in and what they were looking for. Bucky had turned up at one point as well, offering Steve quiet comfort, before leaving with Dooley and Thompson to help with their investigation.

They had been gone a few hours, and Steve was quietly losing his mind when Peggy stirred. She didn't even really move, she just tightened her hand around his, but he sat up and started talking to her. He promised her everything she could ever want, rambling in that way he did, even compromising that their baby was probably a boy when he saw the ghost of a smile cross her face.

He kept talking to her, holding her hand, and making promises he had no idea if he could keep. When she fully awoke three hours later, the first thing she said was, "I told you it's a boy."


	14. Chapter 14

James Abraham Rogers was born almost a month early. Peggy had gone home early that afternoon because her back had been bothering her and she was more exhausted than usual. She was still working at the office several days a week, mostly because they needed her help on several cases and Steve liked having her where he could keep an eye on her.

Still paranoid about the attack almost two months ago, especially when the attacker had yet to be tracked down, Steve had walked her home and helped her get into bed. He had kissed her on the forehead and laid down next to her, holding her in his arms, making sure she was comfortable. Ever since the attack, she had had a hard time falling asleep without him, and he was more than happy to take a few hours to nap with his beautiful wife.

She had fallen asleep quickly, and Steve had just lain there, thinking about everything that was about to change. As the birth of their first child got closer and closer, he grew more and more excited. He figured he should probably also be a little worried, they did lead a dangerous life after all, but he was just so ready to meet the little person he had made with Peggy. Even though they agreed they thought it was going to be a boy, he still wanted a little girl that would look like Peggy, and would grow up to be just like her.

Steve was lost in thought, smiling at the image of a mini-Peggy when she had jolted awake with a small scream, her hands covering her stomach. He had tightened his hold trying to comfort her, assuming she had had one of her nightmares that had plagued for the last several months, when she told him, "I think it's time."

Peggy had seen Steve under pressure before. She had seen him go into battle with nothing but armor and his shield and come out without a scratch. And she was sure that if she hadn't been in labor, she would have found his panic quite entertaining. As it was, she just wanted him to get her shoes and go grab a cab. She finally told him to go get a cab and she would get the bloody shoes. But her Steve was a captain, after all, and was used to leading the way into battle, so he insisted he would take care of it. Several strong contractions later, she had her shoes and they were in a cab, which swiftly took them to the nearest hospital.

For once, Steve wasn't afraid to use his celebrity and they quickly got a private room. Having read all the literature, Peggy was prepared to spend a few hours breathing through contractions, but baby Rogers had other plans. She had just gotten comfortable when the doctor came in. He checked her out, and started issuing commands when he realized she was ready to deliver.

Steve had been pacing the waiting for the last twenty minutes when a nurse came out to get him. He had been kicked out of Peggy's room almost as soon as they had gotten there, and he wished he knew what was going on. When the nurse came to get him, he felt his heart start to race, and as she led him back to Peggy's room, he couldn't keep the smile off his face. He wished she would walk faster and get him to his wife and baby.

The doctor had just placed the howling baby in her arms when the door to her opened and Steve walked in. She smiled at him when she saw the look of awe on his face, and she couldn't help but cry a little when he leaned on the bed next to her to look at their baby. He kissed her, so proud and amazed by her, before pulling back to look again at their little bundle.

"He's got all ten fingers and toes." Peggy said as she watched Steve run a finger down their little boy's face.

"It's a boy?" Steve asked. Peggy nodded as Steve's smile got even bigger. "He's perfect."

They watched their little boy as his cries quieted and he finally settled down with a small yawn. Steve laughed and asked Peggy, "What do you want to name him?"

"I've been thinking about that a lot, and I think we should name him James."

Steve looked at Peggy, so grateful for this woman who understood him so well. She smiled at him before continuing. "James Abraham Rogers. I think it has quite the ring to it."

Steve pressed his lips to hers, still so amazed by her and her generous heart. "James Abraham Rogers it is. Bucky's going to be thrilled."

Peggy laughed and they continued to watch their little boy sleep.

****

They had brought little James home three weeks ago. Peggy smiled, thinking back to the last weeks and their new adventure into parenthood. She was in their bedroom folding laundry as Steve kept an eye on James in the living room. She heard a knock on the door, and Steve yelled he would get it. She heard the front door open, and then Steve yelled that it was Bucky. She continued to fold laundry, letting Steve handle the introduction to James' namesake.

x

Steve was walking the floor with James when there was a knock on the door. He told Peggy he would get it and went to let Bucky in. Bucky looked rough. He had bags under his eyes and looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"Hey, are you alright?" Steve asked as they walked back into the living room.

"Yeah, yeah I'm ok. A little tired. I've been working with the SSR actually, the last few weeks since you've been gone. We've been busy without you."

"You'll have to tell me about it." Steve sat on the couch and motioned for Bucky to sit down next to him. He handed the baby over as he introduced him. "This is James Abraham Rogers. James, this is your Uncle Bucky."

Bucky looked at Steve in surprise. He didn't know what to say, touched that his friend would name his child after him, and he looked down at little James, who was looking back at him, looking a little bored actually. Bucky laughed, "Thanks, man. It means a lot."

Steve slapped him on the shoulder and looked down at James. "He's named after two of the best men I've ever known. And we would be really happy if you would be his godfather as well."

Bucky looked back at Steve. "Of course. I'd be… honored."

Peggy had just been walking into the living room when Steve had asked Bucky to be James' godparent. She stopped at the doorway and watched the two friends as they looked at her son. She smiled when they started talking about James. Bucky wasn't entirely comfortable with his small size, but he was doing his best to hold him. She smiled when James started crying and Bucky immediately handed him off to Steve. Recognizing the cry, she walked into the living room to take the baby from Steve, gently refusing his offer to help. She took him into the bedroom and partially closed the door before sitting down to nurse him. As she settled the baby against her, she listened as Steve and Bucky talked in the living room.

After Peggy came and took James, Steve went and got Bucky a beer.

"Man. I can't believe it. Steve Rogers, a dad."

Steve smiled. "I know. Crazy, huh?"

Bucky laughed and sipped his beer. "How's it feel?"

"Great. Scary. He's so small. I'm scared I'm just going to pick him up one day and break him. But he's… everything. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me, after Peggy of course."

Bucky watched as Steve's smile got bigger and bigger. "You're gonna be great. Seriously, you're going to be the best dad ever."

"I hope so, Buck, I hope so. I can't imagine my life without them."

"I didn't think he was supposed to be here this soon."

"No, he was early. Almost a full month. But the doctors at the SSR think that might have something to do with the serum. They think there might be some effects from it, and that he could… well, be like me, I guess."

"I can't imagine a better man for him to be like."

Steve and Bucky sat in silence as they thought about life, and what it had in store for both of them.

"So what's being going on at the SSR?"

Bucky sighed and took a big drink of his beer. "We've been trying to track some of the stuff you guys had stolen. We were able to track down the person that broke in."

Steve jumped up. "What? You found that guy that… to Peggy… Why didn't you tell me?"

"We've been trying to bring him in, but he keeps slipping away at the last minute. He's… he's a bad guy, Steve. We still don't know what he was looking for here, but I don't think he found it."

"What does that mean? Is he going to come-"

"No, he's not going to come back here." Bucky interrupted. "I won't let that happen to you, or your family." Bucky stood up and put his drink down. "I shouldn't have said anything. Look, Steve, you have a beautiful family here. You should take the time to be with them. Protect them, and I'll do the rest."

"Bucky-"

"Trust me. I've got this." Bucky interrupted again. He slapped Steve on the shoulder and started to leave. Peggy came out holding James over her shoulder as he was about to walk out the door.

"Bucky, wait." She walked to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Bucky smiled at her and hugged her. He bent down to kiss James on the head. "Congrats, Peggy. He's…"

Peggy smiled in understanding. "Be careful out there."

Bucky smiled and gave them all a little wave as he walked out, closing the door behind him.

"Did you hear?"

Peggy readjusted James on her shoulder. "Yes. They know who…"

Steve took Peggy in his arms, careful of the baby. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Either of you." He bent down to press his lips to hers, lingering over the kiss before James started fussing. They pulled back with a laugh as Peggy asked James what he needed now.

Steve watched her talk to James as she walked to the couch and couldn't help but smile. Even with a shadow hanging over them, he was exactly where he wanted to be.


	15. Chapter 15

Steve was standing at the whiteboard looking at some photos when he heard Krzeminski call his name. "Hey Rogers, your lady is here. And she's got the brat with her too."

Steve turned and glared at Krzeminski as he walked over to Peggy. He smiled at her and kissed her cheek before turning to James and kissing his head.

"What brings my two favorite people by?"

"I needed to talk to Chief Dooley about my return. Now that James is almost six months old, I think I can come back now. Howard offered to interview nannies for us, so I figure whichever of them can resist him will be perfect."

Steve laughed as he took James from Peggy. "I'll watch this guy if you want to go talk to him."

Peggy smiled and watched her wonderful husband hold their baby. She knew she couldn't have picked a better man, and was so glad whenever Steve wanted to spend time with James. She leaned up and kissed his cheek, and then wiped away the lipstick mark before going to see the chief.

As Peggy walked into the chief's office, Steve took James over to his desk. Bucky and Thompson walked in from the conference room and walked up to Steve.

"Hey Rogers-"

Bucky interrupted. "Thompson. Not now. Can't you see his son is here? We can't talk about this in front of the baby."

"Why not? He doesn't even know what we're saying. He's just going to drool on himself a little and then fall asleep."

Krzeminski laughed from his desk and Steve glared at him again. "Let's talk later Thompson. Peggy's in with the chief and I don't want her hearing any of this."

When Steve heard, "Any of what?" from over his shoulder, he immediately cursed Peggy's spy training and turned to her, his look of remorse and apology sincere.

"Steve, what aren't you telling me?" Peggy demanded, hands on hips.

Steve looked helplessly at Bucky and Thompson, who both suddenly had somewhere else to be and walked away as quickly as they could, Bucky grabbing little James from Steve first. Steve looked back at Peggy with a small smile which quickly fell when he saw she was glaring at him. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into their favorite conference room.

Peggy turned to Steve as soon he followed her into the room. She opened her mouth to question him again when she saw he had left the door open, probably in a last ditch effort to keep her from yelling at him. She huffed out an impatient breath and moved around him, slamming the door before looking at him again.

Seeing his window of opportunity to distract her, Steve stepped quickly to Peggy and pressed her against the door as he laid his lips on hers. He felt her resist for a moment before they both sank into the kiss. Steve was just starting to think his distraction was a bad idea, especially because James had finally started sleeping through the night and they were having a hard time keeping their hands off each other after he went to bed, when he felt her hand in his hair. Steve pulled back with a small yelp when Peggy pulled hard on his hair.

"What was that for?"

"Stop distracting me. Answer the question."

"Peggy, come on. It's nothing. You don't need to worry about a thing."

Steve took a small step back in fear when Peggy pushed herself off the door and stepped up to him. "If it is something that concerns our family, then I have a right to know what it is."

Looking into her eyes, Steve couldn't help but admire her fierceness and protectiveness when it came to what they had together. He couldn't help but run a finger down her face and cup her cheek as he was struck by her beauty for what felt like the millionth time. "I just want to protect you."

"And I love that. But I want to keep you safe, as well. I can't do that if you don't tell me what is going on."

Steve took a deep breath and led Peggy to a chair. He sat down next to her as he started talking. "We've been trying to catch up to the person that tore apart our place and… attacked you. You know that. You also know that each time we get close they slip away. Well, we just found out today that they're here, in New York."

Peggy looked at Steve, trying to hide her fear. "Who is he?"

"Actually, it's a woman. Bucky got close enough last time to determine that it's not a man, like we thought. And she's good. She fought off Bucky and his team, and managed to escape with barely a scratch while our guys could barely pick themselves up off the ground."

"How do you know she's here?"

Steve took Peggy's hands in his and rubbed them, trying to sooth her. "We intercepted a message."

When Steve paused Peggy felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She tried to hold onto her composure as she asked, "Who from?"

Steve looked into her eyes, letting her see his resolve and confidence that everything would be ok. "Leviathan."

****

Twenty minutes later, after filling Peggy in and stealing a few kisses, Steve walked her out into the office. He saw Bucky holding James, who was now crying as Sousa tried to entertain him and get him to stop.

"For Christ's sake. What have you oafs done now?" Peggy asked, slightly irritably as she took James from Bucky.

"Come on, Peg. We didn't do anything. We were trying to get the little guy to quiet down." Bucky said.

Steve smiled as he watched James settle against Peggy and quiet down, happy to have his mom back when he heard, "Yeah, some of us are actually working over here."

He turned and punched Krzeminski in the face, before he could talk himself out of it. Steve bent down to hover over Krzeminski, who was holding his nose as blood rushed out it. "That is my son. And if I ever hear you say anything about him, or my wife ever again, this is going to look like a good day." Steve stood and looked at everyone in the office who was avidly watching the exchange. "I want you all to know, I will do anything, and everything to protect my family, even if its just from big bullies and their small words." Steve took a breath to calm himself before looking at his wife. "Come on Peggy, let's take our boy home."

Peggy grabbed her bag and they left while Thompson went to help Krzeminski up.

****

Two weeks later Peggy walked back in the SSR office with James once again in tow. Steve noticed that Krzeminski was careful to keep his mouth shut when Peggy walked in, instead turning back to the files on his desk and avoiding Steve's eyes.

"Hey beautiful. I wasn't expecting you today."

Peggy handed James to Steve and set her bag down on his desk. "I know. I need you to watch him for me for a little while."

"Is everything ok?"

Peggy shrugged and looked around, making sure no one was listening in. "I'm just feeling under the weather. I made an appointment at the doctors, and I don't want to have to worry about him while I'm there."

Steve looked at Peggy with concern, noticing circles under her eyes. "Ok, sure I got him. I was just going to go get some lunch, so I'll take little man with me."

"Ok, I should be back in an hour, at the latest."

"We'll see you soon. I love you."

Peggy smiled and kissed him on the cheek before giving James a little kiss on his head. "I love you too. Bye boys."

After Steve had lunch, he laid James down in one of the conference room for a nap using his and Bucky's and some of the other guys jackets, so the baby had some padding. James managed to sleep for almost an hour before he was awake and wanted to see what was going on. Steve held him at his desk and tried to entertain him while he got some work done. Luckily Bucky was there to help with both the work and James and the next thing Steve knew, Peggy had been gone for almost two hours.

He didn't start to worry though until it had been over three hours since Peggy had left James with him. When 30 more minutes passed and she still wasn't there, Steve called Bucky over. Bucky suggested he have the phone girls call her doctor to see if she was maybe still there. When Rose told him that Peggy had left her doctor's office almost 2 hours ago Steve had to fight not to panic.

Howard walked into the office as Steve and Bucky talked about the best way to find Peggy. They were still arguing when Howard asked how he could help. He immediately wished he hadn't asked when he was suddenly holding a six month old squirming baby in his arms. James started crying as Howard tried to convince Steve to take him back, while Steve and Bucky continued to argue when there was a loud whistle that caught all of their attention. Chief Dooley stood there, and when they finally all looked at him, he showed them the envelope he held in his hands.

The enveloped was addressed to Captain Rogers, and Steve ripped it out of Dooley's hands and tore it open. Inside was a hand written letter and Steve heart sank as he read it.

"What does it say?" Bucky asked, as everyone watched Steve read.

Steve had to clear his throat, fighting to not let his emotions show. "Its Leviathan. They have Peggy. She…" Steve broke down, unable to continue. He held the note out to Bucky who took it and started reading.

"They have Peggy, but they don't want her. They're not going to hurt her if we get them Molecular Nitramene from… Howard Stark."

Still uncomfortable holding James, Howard looked up in surprise. He looked at Steve, who was directing all his anger at him, and started to back away slowly. "Steve, man, we cannot give that stuff up. Do you have any idea what it does, what kind of destruction it can cause?"

"Do you have any idea what kind of destruction I can cause, what kind of destruction I will cause if they hurt a single hair on her head?"

Dooley spoke up before Howard wet himself under Steve's glare. "What if we send a dummy? Just give them something that looks like, Nitro-whatever?"

Bucky spoke, still reading the letter. "That won't work. They want Steve to drop off the Nitramene and then once they test it, they'll drop Peggy off here if it's the right stuff."

"And if it is fake?"

Bucky just looked at Steve, who had asked the question, not wanting to say the words. Bucky gently cleared his throat. "What if there's another way. We know this is from Leviathan. Hey Yauch, was anyone able to find our mystery woman?"

"Yeah, I think she was spotted down by the docks out in Manhattan by the Roxxon warehouse. But the agents lost her almost as soon as they had found her."

Howard spoke up, startling a dosing James. "Roxxon, that's the only other company that would be capable of making Molecular Nitramene. That must be where she is, they'll test it at the warehouse and then bring her here."

Chief Dooley looked at Steve. "We don't have time to get a tactical team together."

Steve looked at Bucky as his eyes hardened in determination. "That's ok, we don't need a team."

****

The lady currently calling herself Dottie was pacing the office in the Roxxon warehouse. She still had almost an hour before she went to see if pretty boy Captain America had come through with her Nitramene. Dottie looked at the woman she had tied up in one of the office chairs and smiled when she saw Peggy staring straight ahead.

Peggy had been confused when she had woken up bound to a chair almost an hour ago. She remembered leaving the doctor's office with a mix of excitement and nerves, and just wanting to get back to her boys when it had all gone blank. She didn't remember anything until she had woken up. Now she sat, trying not to show her panic as the blond haired woman in front of her paced and watched her. She almost jumped when the woman spoke.

"I gotta say, I'm impressed. Captain America is quite the catch." Peggy remained silent while the woman watched her. "How'd you manage that? Every woman in America wants him, and yet he's with you. Interesting."

Peggy knew she shouldn't rise to the bait, but she thought that it might be useful to see if she could stall. "What do you want with Steve?"

Dottie looked surprised she had spoken. "Oh, I don't want anything with him. It's not about him at all, he just has access to something I want. I knew the quickest way to get it was to get to you, or your precious baby, but I'm not much for crying."

Peggy tensed against her restraints, clenching her fists as Dottie laughed. "Oh, mama bear's fierce."

Peggy relaxed, not wanting to waste precious energy. She was trying to test her restraints without moving too much when she noticed the other woman go on full alert. Every muscle in Peggy's body was tense as she waited for what came next.

Steve stood outside the warehouse and wanted to just break the door down and run in to Peggy, but Bucky insisted they do a little recon first so he was waiting to make sure no one left the building while Bucky looked around. He had been impatiently waiting for ten minutes when he heard movement behind him. He turned, ready to defend himself and relaxed when he saw it was Bucky.

"Ok, Peggy is in the office on the south wall. There's a woman in there, I think the one I met before."

"Ok, I'll go in first-"

"No, I go first. I'll get the woman, you get Peggy and get her out of here."

Steve nodded tersely and followed Bucky into the building. They moved slowly, making sure they were quiet on their way to the office. They paused outside of the door, and Bucky nodded at Steve, who grabbed the handle to the door, and accidently ripped the door off the hinges.

Peggy was watching the woman as they both intently listened for any sound. Peggy jumped when the door suddenly crashed opened and she fought her panic as she saw two men enter the room. She was focused on the men when she noticed the woman moving to wall by the door, hoping to get behind the men. Peggy looked at the first man as he rushed towards her and noticed his blue eyes and strong jaw and she relaxed when she realized her hero had come to save her. But then she saw the woman come up behind him with a bat in her hands and she barely had time to shout before Dottie swung it down.

Peggy just had enough time to be horrified before she noticed the bat never connected. Bucky caught the bat inches from Steve head and used the momentum to pull Dottie forward and onto the ground. Steve rushed to Peggy and started untying her restraints as Dottie stood up. He had just gotten her arms and chest untied when she heard Dottie say, "Well this is going to be fun."

He bent down to untie Peggy's legs when Dottie kicked at Bucky. Having learned something from the last time they met, Bucky waited until she was off balance and then grabbed her leg and pulled her forward, before spinning her around and using the momentum to throw her. Unfortunately, he threw her directly into Steve's back and unprepared, Steve fell over taking Peggy with him.

Peggy saw Dottie rushing toward them as Steve untied her legs, and she barely had time to think, "Bloody hell," before all three of them went crashing down. She had the wind knocked out her as she landed on her back, and tried to reach up to get her legs free. Steve was still trying to stand back up as Dottie sprang up and rushed back at Bucky.

Peggy watched as there was a flurry of activity as Dottie swung and kicked at Bucky who deflected every move. She saw Bucky swing and hit Dottie across the face. Dottie stumbled back before facing Bucky once more with a feral smile on her face. She rushed back at Bucky with renewed vigor as Peggy and Steve finally got her restraints off and they stood.

Bucky was just starting to sweat, and worry a little bit, if he was being honest, when Dottie crumpled to the floor in front of him. He looked up in surprise to see Peggy holding the bat that he had discarded, breathing heavy from swinging it down over Dottie's head.

Peggy swung as hard as she could, and she could admit it felt really satisfying when the woman fell to the floor. She looked at Steve and Bucky, smiling when she realized she suddenly felt nauseous. Peggy dropped the bat, and not seeing an obvious bathroom, took a few steps away before emptying her stomach on the floor. She was bent over and trying to catch her breath, irritated with herself when Steve came up behind her, concerned.

"I totally forgot you were sick. Are you ok? What did the doctor say? This cannot be good for you, it's too much stress. What are you sick with? How long does the doctor think it will last?"

Irritated further by all of Steve's questions, Peggy snapped, "I'm not sick, I'm pregnant."


	16. Chapter 16

Steve woke up as he felt Peggy get out of bed. He saw that it was still dark out, and he listened for a moment, wondering if she had heard James crying. He didn't hear anything and decided she probably was just getting water or something. Steve dozed, waiting for her to come back, and when she still hadn't come back to bed 20 minutes later, he started to worry. Actually, he'd been concerned ever since she had been kidnapped, and as he got up to go look for her he scrubbed his hands over his face, worried for the first time in their marriage that he might not be able to fix whatever was wrong.

He walked into the nursery and found Peggy looking over a sleeping James. Steve stood in the doorway and watched his miracles in the quiet, predawn hours. He was trying to find the right words when Peggy spoke.

"I'm alright, you know. You don't have to worry about me."

Steve stepped into the room. "I'm not worried." Peggy looked at him for the first time and raised her brow. "Ok, I am little worried." Steve amended. "But Peggy, you were kidnapped a few weeks ago. I just… why won't you talk to me?"

Peggy soothed James, who had stirred when he heard his father's voice, before taking Steve's hand and leading him back to their room. She climbed back in bed and pulled Steve down with her, moving him so she was laying over him while he was on his back. She laid her head down on his chest and sighed, snuggling in when she felt his hand, warm on her back.

Steve was rubbing circles on Peggy's back, desperately wanting her to talk to him. He was again at a loss for words when she picked her head up off his chest and looked into his eyes.

"You know I love you and James, I just don't know if I know how to do this." Peggy said, showing Steve all her vulnerabilities.

"Do what, baby?"

Peggy took a deep breath. "I want my career. I like working for the SSR and feeling like I make a difference, but I don't know how to balance work and children. I was just getting ready to go back to work, and I find out I'm pregnant again. I just…"

Steve had stopped breathing, unsure of what she was telling him. "Do… what… I…"

Peggy interrupted, still trying to convey her feelings. "And of course I want this child. I am so excited to have another little life growing inside me, and to add to our family. I just don't… I don't know where my place is."

Steve rolled them so he was lying on his side, arms still around Peggy. He looked into her eyes and smiled. "You know who I ask for guidance when I'm not sure what to do?" Peggy shook her head with a small smile. "You. Because even if you don't know the answer, you figure it out. And I know you'll figure this out too. You are an incredible agent and already a terrific mom, and I think you can do both."

Peggy's smile faded and she whispered. "I just don't know how."

Steve nudged her face up with his and kissed her slowly. "Will you let me help?" Peggy looked questioningly at Steve. "No, really. You know I love you, and I will do anything for our family. If that means coming home early or watching the kids while you work, I'll do it."

Peggy's smile lit up her face, the first real smile she'd had in almost a week. Her smile quickly turned to one of amusement when Steve started rambling. "I mean, I know I'm not as good of a dad as you are a mom, but I think I do alright. And-" Peggy cut him off in her favorite way, by pressing her lips to his, and they both smiled through the kiss, confident once again that they could work through anything together.

****

Steve really was a great dad. That was the first thing Peggy thought when she awoke a few hours later to Steve bringing James into her for his morning feeding. Steve had somehow managed to get out bed without waking her, and had already started breakfast when James had started crying. Instead of waiting for Peggy to wake up, Steve had gone and gotten James and took him into Peggy.

Peggy smiled and arranged her pillows in order to get comfortable. She took James and got settled while Steve went to check on breakfast. He came back a few minutes later with a plate and some coffee for her. She smiled at him as he set her food down on the bedside table. He kissed her gently, careful of the baby, and went to grab his own plate. He came back and sat down on the bed next to her, ignoring her look of surprise.

"So what do you want to do today?"

"Don't you have to go to work?" Peggy asked.

"No, I called the chief this morning, told him I was taking a personal day. We didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night," he said with a wink as Peggy blushed slightly, "and I haven't been around that much since we caught that Dottie woman. I think they can survive one day without me. Besides, we have to decide what we're going to do when you go back to work. We really need to talk to Howard about those nannies."

Peggy looked up from readjusting James in surprise. "What do you mean when I go back? Why would I go back when we're going to have another baby?"

"We've got what, seven months before the new baby gets here? You know you'll go crazy if you don't go back to work before then."

Peggy thought about it, quickly realizing it was true. "True. I guess I should talk to Chief Dooley again."

Steve made a noise of agreement. "Tomorrow. Let's do something today. Family outing, if you will."

Peggy laughed and agreed and handed James over to Steve when they were all done eating. She went to wash up and change while Steve changed James and got the both of them ready. Once they were all ready, Peggy surprised Steve by telling him she wanted to go to Brooklyn and show little James where Steve had grown up.

Steve smiled, the one he reserved for her. "Brooklyn it is."

****

They had a great day exploring the city. Steve entertained Peggy endlessly with more stories of growing up in Brooklyn. When they got tired, they stopped for lunch and arrived home mid-afternoon with a sleeping James in the stroller. Peggy laid him down, and deciding a nap was a good idea, she went to look for Steve. She found him already asleep in their bed, and she joined him, smiling and happy.

Or she was happy until she was forced out of bed an hour later by the need to empty her stomach.

While she was rinsing her mouth she heard Steve get up. She opened the door as he came into the room with an alert and curious James.

"Are you ok?" Steve asked as he handed his boy over to Peggy.

"Yes. I guess morning sickness is a general term. This new one is making me sick in the afternoon more than James did." They all got into Steve and Peggy's bed as she once again laid propped up to feed James.

"Do you think it'll be another boy?" Steve asked as he watched James eat.

"I don't know. Honestly, I'm kind of hoping for a girl this time. That way we at least have one of each."

Steve laughed. "I agree, a little girl would be great." He paused, lost in thought.

"What?"

"Do you only want two kids?" Steve asked.

Peggy took a minute, readjusting a now full James. She was going to burp him when Steve took him and started doing it. She thought before she said, "I'm not sure how many children I want, honestly. When I joined the army, I assumed I wouldn't actually have any children, I guess."

Steve nodded while he continued to pat James on the back, a little disappointed with her answer.

She saw his disappointment, and she grabbed his chin, making him look at her. "But it doesn't matter to me how many we have, as long as we do it all together." They smiled and leaned in for a kiss. "How many children do you want?" She asked.

Steve smiled and leaned down to kiss her again. "I never thought of an exact number, but a lot. I don't want just one, and we're already on our way there. We could stop at two, and as long as I have you, everything would be perfect. Or we could have ten, who knows." Steve leaned in, wanting another kiss as Peggy reared back.

"There is no way we are having ten children. Absolutely not!"

Steve laughed as Peggy jumped out of bed and went to the bathroom. He looked at James who cooed at him and he got out bed, taking James into the living room before he picked up the phone and made a call.

****

A few hours later, Peggy heard a knock on the door. Steve was laying on the floor with James so she went to answer it and saw Howard and Bucky on the other side.

"Howard, Bucky, what are you doing here?"

Steve spoke up from behind her before they could. "I asked them to come watch James for us for a few hours."

Peggy looked at Steve in surprise. "And where will we be while these two are corrupting our first born?"

Steve smiled and wrapped his hands around her waist. "I thought you could put on a nice dress, and I could take my beautiful wife dancing."


	17. Chapter 17

Peggy was so glad to be back at work. As she looked at the whiteboard with their latest case, she couldn't help but think how great her life was. She had a great job, the best son in the world, and an amazing man, even if he had been driving her crazy all morning. Peggy didn't know for sure what had gotten into Steve that morning, but the man had been teasing her mercilessly ever since they left for work. If he wasn't whispering in her ear, he was rubbing her back or kissing her when no one was looking. He had even pulled her into one of the interrogation observation rooms for a very unprofessional twenty minutes. She was still a little surprised he had talked her into that, but she had to admit it was the reason for the big smile currently on her face.

Her smile got even bigger when the man in question stepped up next to her and handed her a cup tea before looking at the board.

"Thank you."

Steve smiled at her and returned his attention to the board. Peggy took a small sip of tea and almost choked on it when she heard him say, "My pleasure." She had to stop herself from shivering at his tone and gave him a small smile before walking over to her desk, needing some space. She had just sat down and was going through a file when she heard crying. She shook her head, thinking she was hearing something when she heard it again. Steve came over to her desk just as Howard and their new nanny, Ida, got off the elevator with a screaming James.

Both parents rushed over to the crying baby with concern, Peggy taking him from a frazzled Ida.

"I'm so sorry Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, he's just been crying all morning and I didn't know what to do."

Peggy gave the girl what she hoped was a comforting smile and they all moved into the conference room. Peggy sat down with James and tried to get him to quiet down as Steve closed the blinds and shut the door.

"Howard, what are you doing here?" Peggy asked as she checked James out.

Howard took a step away from Ida and tried not to look guilty. "I was just… I didn't know Ida was going to be at the apartment this morning, so I went by to…" Howard stopped talking when he saw the look on Peggy's face and knew she wasn't buying it. He was trying to think of something convincing when Ida spoke up.

"Mr. Stark was a great help, really. He's been very nice. And it was his idea to come here when little James wouldn't stop fussing. It was really sweet." Ida looked at Howard with the adoration Howard had seen many, many times before.

Peggy rolled her eyes and tried to get everyone back on topic. "Has he eaten anything? How long has been crying?" Just as she asked, James face scrunched up and he really started screaming. Steve and Howard went to Peggy and looked over her shoulder at the crying baby. Ida moved to the far side of the room and watched as they tried to console the baby.

When Ida spoke, all three adults looked up quickly. Dropping the innocent tone, Ida said, "Yes, I think he has eaten something. Something little babies shouldn't eat."

Peggy felt Steve's grip her shoulder tightly as he asked, "What did you do?" Peggy was pretty sure all the blood drained out of her face when Ida laughed.

"Don't worry, it won't kill him. It's just going to make him cry and cry until all of you go crazy, and are willing to do whatever it takes to get him to stop. But don't worry, I have the antidote that will dry his tears up like that." Ida snapped her fingers as Peggy reached up to Steve's hand that was still on her shoulder. She could feel the rage radiating off him as Howard took a step toward Ida.

"What do you want?"

Ida laughed her cruel, vicious laugh, making Howard take a step back. "I'm glad you asked, Mr. Stark. I'm after a little something the SSR has. You took one of my associate's and I want her back."

Steve spoke. "Who's your associate?"

"I believe you know her as Dottie. She was captured a few weeks ago, by you, I understand Captain. And I want her and the Nitramene she was sent to get. Get me that, and I'll make little James all better."

Peggy spoke up. "What makes you think we'll get either of those to you?"

Ida walked closer to the three of them and Steve shifted to stand in front Peggy. Ida ignored Steve and looked directly at Peggy. "Because you are a wonderful mother. And you can't stand to see your child in pain, in danger. So you'll give me what I want, because I can make his suffering stop."

Peggy knew what Ida said was the truth; she would do anything for her child. "Steve, take Ida to the scientists. They have the formula for the Nitramene. Howard and I will figure out a way to convince Dooley to release Dottie while you do that."

Steve looked at Peggy, shocked she would even think of it. Peggy responded before he could say anything, "I know, darling. But we have to do what's best for him." She looked down at James who was still crying, and felt her heart break even more for her little boy.

Finally nodding, Steve motioned for Ida to follow him and he took her out to the scientists.

Once they left, Howard turned to Peggy, who was still looking at James. "I'm so sorry, Peg. I had no idea-"

"No, Howard, I know it's not your fault. That woman is a trained professional, and she's good at her job. I just hope we can stop her after she gives us the antidote."

Bucky walked into the conference room as Peggy spoke. "Guys, what the hell is going on? Steve gave me a weird look as he walked the nanny out and motioned for me to come in here."

Peggy looked up at Bucky with tears in her eyes. "The nanny. She's with Leviathan. She gave James something and its making him, well you see. She wants that Dottie woman and the Nitramene and then she'll give us the antidote." Peggy watched as Bucky clenched his fists. His eyes got dark and he started pacing, trying to come up with a solution.

They were all quiet, lost in thought when Bucky realized it was actually quiet. "Peggy, he stopped."

Peggy panicked and looked down, thinking the worst had happened. She gently shifted James and saw that he had just fallen asleep. "I don't… I don't understand. He needs the antidote." They all looked at each other wide eyed and confused. When Peggy saw Steve and Ida coming back, she remembered how he couldn't get drunk, and she realized the serum that was in Steve's blood must have somehow gotten transferred to James. "He metabolized the poison. It's out of his system."

Bucky, Howard and Peggy all breathed a sigh of relief as Steve and Ida walked back into the room. Ida looked smug, until she realized it was quiet. Peggy stood up and handed the peacefully sleeping James to Howard before stepping to Ida and punching her in the face.

Ida collapsed and Bucky responded first, pulling her off the ground and carrying her out of the room. Steve looked between Howard and Peggy, confused as Peggy rubbed her hand. He looked his question at her as Peggy said, "Darling, I think I'm going to work from home from now on."


	18. Chapter 18

Peggy awoke groggy and confused. The first thing she noticed was that her head hurt and she felt nauseous. She looked around, noticing she was in the hospital, and saw Steve asleep in a chair near her bed. She laid her head down, willing it to stop hurting as she tried to remember what happened. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach and gasped, waking Steve as she clutched her stomach and tried to keep from crying out.

"Hey, hey, I'm here." Steve said as he moved closer to her bed and rubbed her back. "You're ok, baby. It's alright."

The pain subsided as Peggy looked at her husband, and she had the feeling that he was about to tell her something she didn't want to hear.

"Steve, what happened? Why am I here?" Peggy saw hurt in Steve's eyes as she spoke and a heavy feeling settled in her heart. "Steve, what's going on?"

He couldn't quite keep the tears out of his eyes as he tried to find the right words. Steve would have laughed at his inability to ever find the right words, if he had been able to smile at all. "You… uh… you collapsed when you were at the office yesterday. You were talking to Chief Dooley on your way out and…your whole face just went white and then you…" Steve cleared his throat and wiped his eyes. "Uh, there was a lot of blood, from where you hit your head, and when we got you here…"

Peggy was struggling to stay calm and keep tears out of her eyes when she asked, "The baby?"

Steve paused and Peggy knew something was wrong when she saw him tear up again. She felt a pang in her stomach again as Steve cleared his throat again. "Uh, no. The baby's… gone. They said something about stress and your body's reaction to the head injury…I don't really know…"

"She's gone?" Peggy asked, tears slipping down her cheeks.

Steve leaned in and grabbed Peggy, wrapping his arms around her as she sobbed.

****

Peggy looked around as she finished unpacking the last box. They had decided to move to a different apartment after she had lost the baby, reasoning that they could use a fresh start, and a bigger place if they wanted to have more children. As she walked to the door to place the box outside, Peggy looked around at the spacious living room with its broad windows that looked out onto a quite Brooklyn street. She smiled, for what felt like the first time in weeks as she heard Steve talking to James as he put him down for a nap.

Even though things had been a little grim since the incident, Peggy was glad to be reminded of the wonderful things in her life. She grabbed a glass of water and sat down at the table to clean the moving dust off the silverware as Steve came out of James' room. He smiled and bent down to kiss her as he walked into the kitchen.

She continued to dust off the silverware as he sat down next to her. "The place looks great. We make a heck of a team, huh?"

Peggy smiled and nodded at Steve as he looked around. Steve looked back at her, and watched her for a minute. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"We have. It's over, there's no use dwelling on it."

Steve continued to look her as she avoided his gaze. "I bet… I bet she would have been a ballerina. We would've had to run all over the city, taking her to classes, and then, when she was all grown up, we'd have been watching her on some big stage."

"I told you I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, I do."

Peggy abruptly pushed back from the table and stood up, taking a few steps. "Why? Why is it so bloody important to you that we talk about it?"

"Because you're hurting Peggy, and I don't know how to help you stop." Steve ran his hands over his face as he stood and walked a few steps away. "Talking is the only thing I can think of, and you won't even do that, so I'm left with nothing. I'm left trying to process what happened, what we lost, without you, knowing that it probably hurt you even more than it hurt me. I watched you break, and then become just a shell of yourself for the last four weeks and I can't do it anymore, Peg." Steve took a deep breath as Peggy continued to look at him. "I love you, more than you could possibly understand, and I would do literally anything for you. Just tell me what you need, tell me how to fix this."

Peggy crossed her arms over her chest and took a deep breath. "I will be fine." She turned and started walking to the bedroom.

She stopped when she heard the anguish in Steve's voice. "I'm really afraid that you won't. I know I'm not."

Peggy turned back to Steve with tears in her eyes as he walked up and took her face in his hands. "Baby, let me help you."

Steve wiped her tears, and as she looked into his eyes, seeing his pain and concern, Peggy felt the thin wall she had built over the last few weeks crumble. He wrapped her in his arms as she sobbed, and cradling her against his chest, letting her cry until she had nothing left. Steve picked her up and sat down on the sofa, holding her in his lap, and they both sat in silence as her tears dried.

She finally spoke after several long minutes. "You're right, I'm not fine. I just don't know what we're supposed to do. Women lose their babies, all the time, but I can't… I can't just forget."

Steve kissed the top of her head. "We'll never forget. We lost something, someone. It's going to take time, we need to grieve, but one day, you'll wake up and it won't be so hard, and then eventually it'll all be ok."

Peggy sat up and looked at Steve. She gave him a small smile and a short kiss before pulling she said. "Thank you, for being so wonderful. I'm sorry I've been… distant lately. I don't know what I would do without you."

It was Steve's turn to smile and he shook his head at her as he leaned in for a kiss. This one was a little longer, both of them savoring the contact. Steve pulled back and said, "I'd be so lost without you baby. You're my rock, you keep me going." They both leaned in, softly pressing their lips together. Steve deepened the kiss as he felt Peggy run her hands through his hair, and she pressed her body closer, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

Steve felt himself getting lost in the kiss, and jumped a little when he felt her hands on the buttons of his shirt. He grabbed her hands and pulled back from the kiss. He framed her face with his hands as they both tried to catch their breath, and looked deep into her eyes. He saw his desire mirrored in her eyes, and he took a deep breath as he laid his forehead against hers. "Are you sure? I know we haven't…"

He trailed off as Peggy got up off his lap and held out her hand to him. Steve smiled and took her hand as he stood up and let her lead him into the bedroom.

****

Steve was still trying to catch his breath later, when he heard James crying. Peggy groaned next to him, still short of breath herself, and Steve caught her as she started to roll out of bed. "I'll get him, you stay." Peggy nodded and pulled him down for a kiss. Steve quickly felt himself get caught up with his lips on hers, and it wasn't until he heard James crying again that he was able to pull himself away. "Stay here, I'll be right back."

James quieted down as soon as Steve picked him up. He quickly changed the little guys diaper, and Steve took him into Peggy.

Peggy watched as Steve talked to James as they walked into the room. She was struck, again by how beautiful her son was, and how much she and Steve had changed and grown since he had been born. She smiled, "You know, I think I decided how many children I would like to have."

Steve looked up at her in mild surprise. "Oh yeah? How many?" he asked as he handed James over. Peggy took James and settled him against her, rubbing her fingers over his fine baby hair.

"I think four is a good number." She smiled at Steve as he sat down on the bed next to her. They both looked at James as he waved his arms and babbled. Peggy laughed and made faces at James as Steve looked at her. He ran his hand down her hair and then put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close and holding his family in his arms.

"I think we can handle four." They smiled at each other before he kissed her, both finally feeling everything settle back into place. Steve breathed a small sigh of relief, happy to be back on track and more confident than ever that they were ready for whatever the future held.


	19. Chapter 19

As Steve sat, holding Peggy's hand and watching as she took her last breaths, he thought about the 65 wonderful years they had spent together. On the other side of her sat their five children, watching as their mother clung to life. He looked over and felt pride, joy and love radiate for them, feelings he held onto as he turned back to his wife, his partner, his love and looked into the eyes he knew so well. Steve could see Peggy was in pain and ready to move on, but she was still there, looking out for him like she always did, like she had spent a lifetime doing. He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her forehead, lingering over the kiss, committing her smell and the feel of her hair to memory one last time, before pulling back.

Peggy passed away like she always wanted, surrounded by her family, and holding the hand of the man she had spent over 65 years loving.

Steve watched as her eyes closed one last time, and couldn't hold the tears back as he felt her hand go limp in his.

****

As the crowd gathered at the cemetery, Steve looked around and saw many familiar faces. There was his family, of course, all the kids with their families. But he found himself momentarily overwhelmed by how many people had come to say good-bye to Peggy. He saw Howard's son Tony looking somber and slightly uncomfortable, and he saw several of their former colleagues from the SSR and current colleagues from S.H.I.E.L.D. Bucky stood near him, there to lend his support should Steve need it.

It had taken a while, but Bucky finally got over whatever brainwashing he had been through. They both were now in their 90's, although Bucky looked a little older than Steve, since the Russians version of the serum was not as successful. They still worked closely together, and had become even better friends over the course of their lives. Bucky had married later in life, all of the kids had been in their teens when Uncle Bucky finally had kids of his own, but he now had three great kids who were also working with S.H.I.E.L.D. Steve and Peggy's kids had often been called upon to babysit Bucky's and Anna's kids, and Steve was glad that the kids were all great friends.

Steve felt Bucky's hand on his shoulder as the casket was lowered into the ground, and he felt overwhelmed, again, by the outpouring of support he and his family were receiving. He briefly wished the day was over as he smiled at Bucky and moved into the crowd to shake the hands of those that had come.

****

Steve had very few regrets in life. After all, he had had an amazing life with the woman of his dreams by his side the whole time.

He had had very little regrets until now. As he sat and listened to the lawyer read Peggy's will, surrounded by his children, he just kept thinking how much he wished he could've found a way for Peggy to have some of the super serum that affected him and the kids. Although Steve was almost 90, he still looked like he was in his thirties. The same was true of all his children who were in their 60's, but looked no older than 35, which sometimes confused their grandchildren, and always confused strangers.

Even though they had had 65 great and wondrous years together, he wished for more. It had only been a few days since Peggy had finally lost her battle with cancer and old age, but it felt like an eternity. He listened as she bequeathed special items to the children and the few colleagues still alive from when they founded S.H.I.E.L.D.

Steve reflected on how life hadn't always been easy for them. Their daughter Sarah Grace was born about a year after the miscarriage, and life hadn't slowed down since. Shortly after Sarah came along, they were gifted with the twins; Elizabeth Margaret and Evelyn Frances. Steve smiled when he remembered how they had said they were done after the twins were born, they had their four after all, and then Steve Junior had come along a year later. Peggy had tried to pretend that she was mad they had an unexpected fifth child, but she spoiled Junior the most.

After Junior was born, Steve, Peggy, Howard, Bucky and some other colleagues banded together to form S.H.I.E.L.D., and they set out to protect the world. Steve and Peggy fought to make it a better place for their children, and enjoyed every minute of raising their family and fighting bad guys. It got hard sometimes, he could admit that, but it never felt like a burden or work, and he knew Peggy had felt the same.

Then there were the times after Peggy started aging, like any normal human would do. She was suddenly self-conscious in front of a still young and handsome Steve. He hadn't minded though; he actually enjoyed the excuse to tell her everyday how beautiful she was, and to show her, constantly, how much he loved her, even as she got older. He remembered her surprise every time he brought her flowers, or candy, or something small, just because he was thinking of her when he saw it. If nothing else, Steve was more than content to spend his life making her happy. And she made him so happy in return, just by being her, but also for being his rock and his lifeline. She had done so many things over the course of their life just for him, just to make him happy. He knew he couldn't have found a better partner, wife or lover and he thanked God every day for that chance encounter with Doctor Erksine that led him here, to this life.

Now, he sat and faced life without her. No one knew for sure how long he or the kids would live, although at 90 Steve seemed like he might have another good hundred years in him. Steve felt his breath catch as he thought of living another 100 years without Peggy, when he distantly heard someone calling his name. He looked up and noticed he was still with the kids and the lawyer, going over the will. The lawyer looked at him, and spoke again.

"Mr. Rogers, your wife left you several things. Would you like to hear what they are?" the lawyer patiently asked.

Steve took a deep breath and tried to clear his throat as he nodded for the lawyer to continue.

"Ok, upon Mrs. Roger's death, her estate and all holdings separate from Mr. Rogers holdings, are to revert to Mr. Rogers." Steve nodded his head, expecting nothing less. "There is also; a letter and a box, that Mr. Rogers is to open at a time he feels appropriate, 'but try not to be late.' Her words, not mine."

Steve quietly laughed and accepted the letter and the gift-wrapped box the lawyer handed to him. He looked at it and wondered what it could possibly be.

The lawyer wrapped up, telling the kids what they got with no surprises, and then left with a quiet word of condolence to the family. Steve sat, looking at the box and letter as the kids got up and went to speak with their families.

He had been sitting for almost 20 minutes when his oldest daughter, Sarah, sat down next to him, putting her hand in his and sitting with him in silence. They sat together in silence for a while, Sarah offering quiet support, before Steve shook himself out of his reverie.

He looked at his daughter, a perfect replica of Peggy, and smiled, asking if she wanted to open the box with him. She agreed and Steve ripped off the wrapping paper. He opened the box and saw a piece of paper lying on the top that just said, 'To the good times.' Steve set the note aside and reached in and pulled out pictures, dozens and dozens of pictures. Sarah took some of them and they went through them all; there were pictures of Steve and Peggy from the war, from when they were first married, pictures of the kids, pictures of the many cats and dogs they had had and the family trips they took. Everyone looked so happy in each and every one of the pictures, reminding Steve that they had lived a wonderful and full life. He reached back into the box, feeling a solid object in the bottom as he pulled out the last of the pictures.

Steve looked into the box and closed his hand around an object he thought he had lost long ago. He looked at his compass, and pulled it open to see the familiar picture of Peggy. The picture he had looked at to comfort and encourage himself as he decided to crash Schmidt's plane all those years ago. Tears welled in his eyes once again as he saw the small handwriting that was now across the bottom of her picture. He know she had written the simple, "I love you," and he ran a finger over the picture, wishing he could touch her beautiful face just one more time.

Sarah stood and kissed Steve's head before going to join her siblings and all their families, leaving Steve to read the letter.

He took a deep breath and opened the envelope, bracing himself.

_My Darling,_

_I can never express to you how much our life together has meant to me. When I thought I lost you all those years ago, I didn't know how to go on. I'm sure I would have, eventually, been able to move on with my life, but I am extraordinarily grateful that I didn't have to. I consider myself immeasurably lucky to have known and loved you for all these years._

_If you're reading this, it means my time has passed, and unless something has changed dramatically, yours hasn't, not even close. I know my passing will be hard on you, but as I've told you so many times in the past, you are the strongest, bravest man I've ever known. Miss me, grieve for what you lost, and then one day you'll wake and it won't be as hard. One day, it will all be ok, and you'll move on, as you should, because you are meant for so much more than any of us could have ever imagined. Never stop being that kindhearted boy I met from Brooklyn, never stop loving and laughing and believing the best in people. Take care of the children, if they let you, and know that I love you always._

Steve felt tears run down his face as he finished the letter, and didn't even bother to wipe them away. He took a deep breath and smiled, deciding to join his family and cherish them while he had the time. He packed up the pictures and folded the letter, placing it in the box with their memories.

As he surrounded himself with his children, grandchildren and even a few great grandchildren, Steve couldn't help but smile. Running through his mind, over and over were the last words Peggy ever gave him, and he knew her memory would comfort and guide him for the rest of his life.

_I'll be waiting for you, wherever we end up, for however long I have to. Just be there._

** Fin. **


End file.
